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MARINER'S CHRONICLE 



CONTAIN iXG 



NARRATIVES 



OF THE MOST 



HEMARKABLE DISASTERS AT SEA, 



SUCH AS 



SHIPWRECKS, STORMS, FIRES, AND FAMINES 



ALSO 



NAVAL ENGAGEMENTS, 

V 

PIRATICAL ADVENTURES, INCIDENTS OF DISCOVERY, AND 

OTHER EXTRAORDINARY AND INTERESTING 

OCCURRENCES. 



STEREOTYPED BY A. CHANDLER. 



NEW HAVEN : 

PUBLISHED BY GEORGE W. GORTON, 

1834. 



^^'h^ 

^%^ 

t 



.^A 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1834, by 

DURRIE AND PECK, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Connecticut. 



PREFACE. 



It may be truly said that no reading, not fic- 
titious, is so interesting and exciting, as Narra- 
tives of Maritime Adventure. The imminent 
peril of life, on the uncertain element, and the 
surer horrors of thirst and famine, when cast on 
a desert coast, give to the incidents of storms 
and shipwrecks, such force and power in awa- 
kening attention, that narratives of such events 
are among the first to attract youth, and among 
the last to interest old age. The seaman's life 
is, above all others, one of adventure. Truly he 
may say, he knows not " what to-morrow will 
bring forth." Now he may be scudding along 
cheerily, with a light and steady breeze, or rest- 
ing motionless, on the bosom of a calm. The 
next moment, the clouds may gather, the winds 
rise, and the ocean be roused into fury. Now 
he may be far out in the mid ocean, sailing on- 



VI PREFACE. 

ward secure from shoals and rocks, with every 
sheet of canvass hoisted. Then he may be 
threading his dangerous way through reefs and 
islands, heaving his lead, consulting his chart, 
and calculating his reckoning, at every moment. 
Then the risks of war and piracy, and in un- 
known seas, of hidden banks and shelves — every 
where of fogs, which hide his course, and storms 
that drive him from it. So like the vicissitudes 
of a whole life, are all his voyages, that we read 
the details of his route, even his dry log-book, 
with a fellow-feeling of interest and anxiety. 
Then we have the enjoyment of his adventures, 
without their dangers. It is pleasant to listen 
to perils we do not share — to feel our hearts 
beat, not from fear, but from interest and excite- 
ment. "It is pleasant, when the winds are 
rousing the waves, to look out, from the shore, 
on the open sea, and see another's peril : not 
because we are pleased that another suffers, 
but because it is pleasant to look on danger, 



. PREFACE. VU 

when we are safe," So said the Roman poet, 
and such is our nature still. 

But we are now guided, or ought to be, by a 
better spirit than even an enlightened ancient 
could feel. We acknowledge the superintend- 
ence of a kind overruling Providence, and in no 
situation are we led to a more entire reliance on 
such a Providence, than amid the dangers of 
the sea. Never do the mere unassisted efforts 
of man appear feebler, than amid those great 
convulsions of nature, and those perilous chan- 
ces, to which the mariner is so especially expo- 
sed. We, too, have learned to sympathize truly 
with all our kind, and when we read of the 
hazards and sufferings of the poor sailor, with 
nothing to protect him but the mercy of Provi- 
dence, we feel our own hearts moved to bene- 
volence, and impressed with a like sense of 
dependence. 



LIST OF ENGRAVINGS. 

No. 1 Loss OF A Frigate on the Coast op Scilly. 
" 2 Loss OF THE English Ship Kent. , 
" 3 Crew, OF the Ship Hercules. 
" 4 United States Sloop of War Hornet. 
" 5 Russian Sailors. 

" 6 Captain Prenties on Cape Breton Island. 
" 7 Blowing up of the Prince. 
" 8 Burning of the Hibernia. 
" 9 Loss OF THE Nottingham Galley. 
"10 The Crew of the Magpie. 
"11 Madame Denoyer. 
"12 Commodore Beerings. 
"13 The Survivors OF THE Medusa. 
"14 The Essex struck by a Whale. 
"15 Discovery OF Skeletons. 
"16 Greenland Whale Fishery. 
"17 The Unfortunate Philanthropist. 
"18 Icebergs. 
"19 The Maelstrom. 
" 20 Wreck of the Albion Packet. 
"21 Explosion of the Helen McGregor. 
" 22 Wreck of the Fulton. 
" 23 Capture of the Guerriere. 
" 24 Battle of Lake Champlain. 
*« 25 Digging for Kidd's Money. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Loss of the English ship Kent, - - - - 13 
u>-^Loss of the Grosvenor Indiaman, on the coast of 

Caffrana, August 4, 1782, - - - - 24 

Loss of the American ship Hercules, on the coast of 

Cafrraria,Junel6, 1796, - . - . 54 

Loss of the Sloop of War Hornet, - - - 81 

1/ Shipwreck of Madame De Bourk, - - - 86 

Loss of the Steam-Packet Rothsay Castle, - - 98 

Sufferings and extraordinary adventures of four 

Russian sailors, on the Desert Island of East 

Spitzbergen,in 1743, 109 

i^ Loss of an Enghsh Sloop, on the coast of the Island 

of Cape Breton, in 1780, 117 

The sufferings of Ephraim How, of New Haven, who 

was wrecked near Cape Sable in the year 1676, 144 
Voyage of the Packet-Ship President, - - - 146 



t/ 



X CONTENTS. 

Pa OB.' 

^ Loss of His Majesty's ship Centaur, Sept. 23, 1782, 153 
/ Loss by fire of the French East India Company's 

vesselthePrince, July 26, 1752, - - - 165 

Loss by fire of the Hibernia, - - - - 175 

Loss of the Nottingham Galley, on Boon Island, near 

New England, December 11, 1710, - - - 177 
The shipwreck of M. De Brisson, on the coast of 

Barbary, ,----..- i88 

Extraordinary famine in the American ship Peggy, 

in 1765, 205 

Loss of the Magpie, and escape of two of her crew, 209 
Adventures of Madame Denoyer, between the Ba- 
hama Islands and Cuba, in 1766, - - - 221 
Shipwreck of a Spanish Frigate, on the coast of 

Mexico, in 1678, 226 

Loss of a Jamaica sloop, in 1711, - - 242 

Loss of the Russian ship St. Peter, on the coast of 

Beering's Island, in 1741, .... 276 

Shipwreck of the Medusa, on her voyage to Senegal, 296 

Destruction of the Essex by a whale, - - - 398 
Wreck of the ship President, Charleston Line 

Packet, 402 

A tragical tale of the sea, 405 

The whale, ---,•., 410 



Page. 
The Greenland whale fishery, - ■ -^ - 412 

The polar Bear, 414 

^- l^ms of His Majesty's- ship Phoenix, off the Island 

of Cuba, in the year nsa, ^ - - -418 
Shipwreck of the Jonge Thomas, at the Cape of 

Good Hope, June 2, 1773, - - - - 431 

Polar Ice, 434 

The Maelstrom, 439 

Captain Ross' narrative of his late Arctic expedition, 442 
Shipwreck of the Albion Packet, - - - 447 

Explosion of the steam boat Helen M'Gregor, at 

Memphis, Tennessee, Feb. 24, 1830, - - 453 

Explosion of the steam boat iEtna, in New York 

Harbor, May 15, 1824, 457* 

Conflagration of the steam boat Phoenix, on Lake 

Champlain, September 5, 1819, - - - 461 
Blowing up of the steam frigate Fulton, at the Navy 

Yard, Brooklyn, June 4, 1829, - - - 464 

Explosion of the steam boat New England, at Es- 
sex, Connecticut River, October 9, 1833, - 470 
Capture of the Guerriere, ----- 478 

Capture of the Macedonian, . . • - 480 

Capture of the Java, ------ 482 

Battle of Lake Erie, 484 



XII CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Battle of Lake Champlain, 490 

Piracy, 492 

Kidd's Money, 496 

Outrage of the Malays, 501 



Poetry, - 604 



THE 



MARII^ER'S CHKOSriCLiE. 



LOSS OF THE ENGLISH SHIP KENT. 

T7ie account of which the foUoiving is an abridgment, was 
written and published in England, by a pious Major in the 
East India Com'pany^ s service. 

The Kent, Captain Henry Cobb, a fine new ship of one 
thousand three hundred and fifty tons, bound to Bengal and 
China, left the Downs on the 19th of February, with twenty 
officers, three hundred and forty-four soldiers, forty-three wo- 
men, and sixty-six children, belonging to the 31st regiment; 
with twenty private passiingers, and a crew (including offi- 
cers) of one hundred and forty-eight men on board. 

The bustle attendant on a departure for India, is undoubt- 
edly calculated to subdue the force of those deeply painful 
sensations to which few men can refuse to yield, in the im- 
mediate prospect of a long and distant separation from the 
land of their fondest and earliest recollections. With my 
gallant shipmates, indeed, whose elasticity of spirits is re- 
markably characteristic of the profession to which they be- 
longed, hope appeared greatly to predominate over sadness. 
Surrounded as they were b)'' every circumstance that could 
render their voyai3;-e propitious, and in the ample enjoyment 
of every necessary that could contribute either to their health 
or comfort — ^their hearts seemed to beat high with content- 
ment and gratitude toward that country which they zealous- 
ly served, and whose interests they were cheerfully going 
forth to defend. 

With a fine fresh breeze from the north-east, the stately 
Kent, in bearing down the channel, speedily passed m.any a 
well-known spot on the coast dear to our remembrance ; and 
on the evening of the 23d we took our last view of happy 

o 



14 LOSS OF THE KENT. 

England, and entered the wide Atlantic, without the expecta- 
tion of again seeing land until we reached the shores of India. 

On the night of Monday the 28th of February, when the 
Kent was in lat. 47 deg. 30 min. long. 10 deg. a violent gale 
blew from the west, and gradually increased during the fol- 
lowing morning. The rolling of the vessel became tremen- 
dous about midnight, so that the best fastened articles of fur- 
niture in the principal cabins were dashed about with violence, 
and the main chains were thrown at every lurch under water. 

It was a little before this period, that one of the officers of 
the ship, Avith the well-meant intention of ascertaining that all 
was fast below, descended with two of the sailors into the 
hold, where they carried with them, for safety, a light in the 
patent lantern ; and seeing that the lamp burned dimly, the 
officer took the precaution to hand it up to the orlop-deck to 
be trimmed. Having afterward discovered one of the spirit 
casks to be adrift, he sent the sailors for some billets of wood 
to secure it ; but the ship in their absence having made a 
heavy lurch, the officer unfortunately dropped the light ; and 
letting go his hold of the cask in his eagerness to recover the 
lantern, it suddenly stove, and the spirits communicating with 
the lamp, the whole place was instantly in a blaze. 

As long as the devouring element appeared to be confined 
to the spot where the fire originated, and which we were as- 
sured was surrounded on all sides by Avater casks, we ventur- 
ed to cherish hopes that it might be subdued ; but no sooner 
was the light blue vapor that at first arose succeeded by vo- 
lumes of thick dingy smoke, which speedily ascended through 
all the four hatchways, rolled over every part of the ship, 
than all farther concealment became impossible, and almost 
all hope of preserving the vessel was abandoned. " The 
flames have reached the cable tier," was exclaimed by some 
individuals, and the strong pitchy smell that pervaded the deck 
confirmed the truth of the exclamation. 

In these awful circumstances Captain Cobb, with an ability 
and decision of character that seemed to increase with the 
i-mminence of the danger, resorted to the only alternative now 
left him, of ordering the lower deck to be scuttled, the comb- 
ing of the hatches to be cut, and the lower ports to be opened 
for the free admission of the waves. 

These instructions were speedily executed by the united ef- 
forts of the troops and seamen : but not before some of the 
sick soldiers, one woman, and several children, unable to gain 
the upper deck, had perished. On descending to the g-uu- 



LOSS OF THE KENT. 15 

deck with Col. Fearon, Capt. Bray, and one or two other offi- 
cers of thti 31st regiment, to assist in opening the ports, I 
met, staggering toward the hatchway, in an exhausted and 
nearly senseless state, one of the mates, who informed us that 
he had just stumbled over the dead bodies of some individuals 
who must have died from suffocation, to which it was evident 
that he himself had almost fallen a victim. So dense and 
oppressive was the smoke, that it was with the utmost diffi- 
culty Ave could remain long enough below to fulfill Captain 
C-obb's Avishes ; Avhich were no sooner accomplished than the 
sea rushed in with extraordinary force, carrying away in 
its resistless progress to the hold, the largest chests, bulk- 
heads, &c. 

On the one hand stood death by fire, on the other death by 
water; the dilemma Avas dreadful. Preferring always the 
more remote alternative, the unfortunate creAV were at one 
moment attempting to check the fire by means of water ; and 
when the Avater became the most threatening enemy, their 
efforts AA^ere turned to the exclusion of the waves, and the fire 
was permitted to rage Avith all its fury. 

The scene of horror that noAv presents itself,- baffles all 
description — 

^ " Then rose from sea to sky the wild fareA^ell ; 

" Then shrieked the timid, and stood still the brave." 

The upper deck was coA'ered Avith betAveen six and seven hun- 
dred human beings, many of whom, from previous sea-sick- 
ness, AA'ere forced on the first alarm to flee from below in a 
state of absolute nakedness, and Avere noAV running about in 
quest of husbands, children, or parents. 

While some were standing in silent resignation, or in stu- 
pid insensibility to their impending fate, others Avere yielding 
themselves up to the most frantic despair. Some on their 
knees Av^ere earnestly imploring, Avith significant gesticulations 
and in noisy supplications, the mercy of Him, whose arm, they 
exclaimed, AA^as at length outstretched to smite them ; others 
Avere to be seen hastily crossing themselves, and performing 
the various external acts required by their peculiar persuasion, 
Avhile a number of the older and more stout-hearted sailors 
suddenly took their seats directly oA'er the magazine, hoping, 
as they stated, that by means of the explosion, Avhich they 
every instant expected, a speedier termination might thereby 
be put to their sufferings.* 

* Captain Cobb, with great forethought, ordered the deck to be scut- 



i: 



16 LOSS OF THE KENT. 

Several of the soldier's wives and children, who had fled 
for temporary shelter into the after cabins on the upper deck, 
were engaged in praying and in reading the scriptures with 
the ladies, some of whom were enabled, with wonderful self- 
possession, to offer to others those spiritual consolations which 
a firm and intelligent trust in the Redeemer of the world ap- 
peared at this awful hour to impart to their own breasts. The 
dignified deportment of two young ladies in particular, formed 
a specimen of natural strength of mind, finely modified by 
christian feeling, that failed not to attract the notice and admi- 
ration of every one who had an opportunity of witnessing it. 
On the melancholy announcement being made to them that all 
hope must be relinquished, and that death was rapidly and in- 
evitably approaching, one of the ladies above referred to, calmly 
sinking down on her knees, and clasping her hands together, 
said, "Even so come. Lord Jesus," and immediately proposing 
to read a portion of the scriptures to those around her, her 
sister, with nearly equal composure and collectedness of mind, 
selected the 46th and other appropriate Psalm.s, which were 
accordingly read, with intervals of prayer, by those ladies 
alternately to the assembled females. 

One young gentleman, of whose promising talents and piety 
I dare not now make farther mention, having calmly asked me 
my opinion respecting the ship, I told him I thought w^e should 
all be prepared that night to sleep in eternity : and I never 
shall forget the peculiar fervor wdth which he replied, as he 
pressed my hand in his, " My heart is filled Avith the peace of 
God ; yet though I know it is foolish, I dread exceedingly 
the last struggle." 

All hope had departed ! the employment of the different in- 
dividuals indicated utter despair of rescue — one was removing 
a lock of hair from his writing-desk to his bosom — others were 
awaiting their fate in stupor — some with manly fortitude — 
others bewailing it with loud and bitter lamentation — and part 
were occupied in prayer and mutual encouragement. 

It was at this appalling instant, when " all hope that we 
should be saved was taken away," that it occurred to Mr. 
Thompson, the fourth mate, to send a man to the foretop, ra- 
ther with the ardent wish than the expectation, that some 
friendly sail might be discovered on the face of the waters. 

tied forward, with a view to draw the fire in that direction, knowing 
that between it and the magazine v/ere several tiers of water casks; 
while he hoped that the wet sails, &c. thrown into the after hold, would 
prevent it from communicating with the spirit-room abaft. 



LOSS OF THE KENT. 17 

The sailor, on mounting-, threw his eyes round the horizon for 
a moment — a moment of unutterable suspense — and waving 
his hat, exclaimed, " A sail on the lee-bow !" The joyful an- 
nouncement was received with deep-felt thanksgiving, and 
with three cheers upon deck. Our flags of distress were in- 
stantly hoisted, and our minute guns fired ; and we endea- 
vored to bear down under our three topsails and fore-sail upon 
the stranger, which afterward proved to be the Cambria, a 
small brig of two hundred tons burthen — Cook — bound to 
Vera Cruz, having on board twenty or thirty Cornish miners, 
and other agents of the Anglo- Mexican company. 

While Captain Cobb, Colonel Fearon, and Major McGre- 
gor of the 31st regiment, were consulting together, as the brig- 
was approaching us, on the necessary preparations for getting 
out the boats, &c. one of the officers asked Major M. in what 
order it was intended the officers should move off? to which 
the other replied, "of course, the funeral order ;" which injunc- 
tion was instantly confirmed by Col. Fearon, who said, " Most 
undoubtedly the juniors first — but see that any man is cut down 
who presumes to enter the boats before the means of escape 
are presented to the women and children." 

Arrangements having been considerately made by Captain 
Cobb for placing in the first boat, previous to letting it down, 
all the ladies, and as many of the soldiers' wives as it could 
safely contain, they hurriedly wrapt themselves up in what- 
ever article of clothing could be most conveniently found ; and 
I think about two, or half past two o'clock, a most mournful 
procession advanced from the after cabins to the starboard 
cuddy port, outside of which the cutter was suspended. Scarce- 
ly a word was heard — not a scream was uttered — even the in- 
fants ceased to cry, as if conscious of the unspoken and un- 
speakable anguish that was at this instant rending the hearts 
of the parting parents — nor was the silence of voices in any 
way broken, except in one or two cases, where the ladies plain- 
tively entreated to be left behind with their husbands. But 
on being assured that every moment's delay might occasion 
the sacrifice of a human life, they successively suffered them- 
selves to be torn from the tender embrace, and with a forti- 
tude which never fails to characterize and adorn their sex on 
occasions of overwhelming trial, were placed, without a mur- 
mur, in the boat, which was immediately lowered into a sea so 
tempestuous as to leave us only "to hope against hope" that 
it should live in it for a single moment. Twice the cry was 
heard from those on the chains that the boat was swamping. 

2* 



18 LOSS OF THE KENT. 

But He who enabled the Apostle Peter to walk on the face of 
the deep, and was graciously attending to the silent but ear- 
nest aspirations of those on board, had decreed its safety. 

After one or two unsuccessful attempts to place the little 
frail bark fairly upon the surface of the water, the command 
was at length given to unhook ; the tackle at the stern was in 
consequence immediately cleared ; but the ropes at the bow 
having got foul, the sailor there found it impossible to obey the 
order. In vain was the axe applied to the entangled tackle. 
The moment was inconceivably critical ; as the boat, which 
necessarily followed the motion of the ship, was gradually ri- 
sing out of the water, and must, in another instant, have been 
hanging perpendicularly by the bow, and its helpless passen- 
gers launched into the deep, had not a most providential wave 
suddenly struck and lifted up the stern, so as to enable the sea- 
man to disengage the tackle ; and the boat being dexterously 
cleared from the ship, was seen, after a little while, battling 
with the billows ; now raised, in its progress to the brig, like 
a speck on their summit, and then disappearing for several 
seconds, as if engulfed "in the horrid vale" between them. 

Two or three soldiers, to relieve their wives of a part of their 
families, sprang into the water with their children, and per- 
ished in their efideavors to save them. One young lady, 
who had resolutely refused to quit her father, whose sense of 
duty kept him at his post, was near falling a sacrifice to her 
filial devotion, not having been picked up by those in the 
boats until she had sunk five or six times. Another indivi- 
dual, who was reduced to the frightful alternative of losing his 
wife or his children, hastily decided in favor of his duty to 
the former. His wife was accordingly saved, but his four 
children, alas ! were left to perish. A fine fellow, a soldier, 
who had neither wife nor child of his ovm, but who evinced 
the greatest solicitude for the safety of those of others, insist- 
ed on having three children Jashed to him, with whom he 
plunged into the water ; not being able to reach the boat, he 
was drawn again into the ship with his charge, but not before 
two of the children had expired. One man fell down the 
hatchway into the flames, and another had his back so com- 
pletely broken as to have been observed quite doubled falling 
overboard. The numerous spectacles of individual loss and 
Buffering were not confined to the entrance upon the perilous 
voyage between the two ships. One man who fell beneath 
the boat and the brig, had his head literally crushed fine — and 
some others were lost in their attempts to ascend the sides of 
the Cambria. 



LOSS OF THE KENT. 19 

When the greater part of the men had been disposed of, 
the gradual removal of the officers commenced, and was mark- 
ed by a discipline the most rigid, and an intrepidity the most 
exemplary : none appearing to be influenced by a vain and 
ostentatious bravery, which in cases of extreme peril affords 
rather a presumptive proof of secret timidity than of fortitude ; 
nor any betraying of unmanly or unsoldier-like impatience to 
quit the ship ; but with the becoming deportment of men nei- 
ther paralyzed by, nor profanely insensible to, the accumulat- 
ing dangers that encompassed them, they progressively de- 
parted in the different boats w4th their soldiers — they who 
happened to proceed first leaving behind them an example of 
coolness that could not be unprofitable to those who followed. 

Every individual was desired to tie a rope round his waist. 
While the people were busily occupied in adopting this re- 
commendation, I was surprised, I had almost said amused, by 
the singular delicacy of one of the. Irish recruits, who, in 
searching for a rope in one of the cabins, called out to me 
that he could find none except the cordage belonging to an 
officer's cot, and wished to know whether there wouW be 
any harm in his appropriating it to his own use. 

Again, as an agreeable proof, too, of the subordination and 
good feelings that governed the poor soldiers in the midst of 
their sufferings, I ought to state that toward evening, when 
the melancholy groupe who were passively seated on the 
poop, exhausted by previous fatigue, anxiety and fasting, were 
oeginning to experience the pain of intolerable thirst, a box 
of oranges was accidentally discovered by some of the men, 
who, with a degree of mingled consideration, respect and af- 
fection that could hardly have been expected at such a mo- 
ment, refused to partake of the grateful beverage until they 
had afforded a share of it to their officers. 

The spanker-boom of so large a ship as the Kent, which 
projects, I should think, sixteen or eighteen feet over the stern, 
rests, on ordinary occasions, about nineteen or twenty feet 
above the water ; but in the position in which we were placed, 
from the great height of the sea, and consequent pitching of 
the ship, it was frequently lifted to a height of not less than 
thirty or forty feet from the surface. 

To reach the rope, therefore, that hung from its extremity 
was an operation that seemed to require the aid of as much 
dexterity of hand as steadiness of head. For it was not only 
he nervousness of creeping along the boom itself, or the ex- 
treme difficulty of afterward seizing on and sliding down by 



20 LOSS OF THE KENT. 

the rope, that we had to dread, and tlfet occasioned the loss 
of some valuable lives, by deterring the men from adopting 
this mode of escape ; but as the boat, which one moment was 
probably under the boom, might be carried the next, by the 
force of the waves, fifteen or twenty yards away from it, the 
unhappy individual, whose best calculations were thus defeat- 
ed, was generally left swinging for some time in mid-air, if he 
was not repeatedly plunged sf^veral feet under Avater, or dash- 
ed with dangerous violence against the sides of the returning 
boat — or, what not unfrequently happened, was forced to let 
go his hold of the rope altogether. As there seemed, however, 
no alternative, I did not hesitate, notwithstanding my com- 
parative inexperience and awkwardness in such a situation, to 
throw my leg across the perilous stick ; and with a heart ex- 
tremely grateful that such means of deliverance were still ex- 
tended to me, and more grateful still that I had been enabled, 
in common with others, to discharge my honest duty to my 
sovereign and to my fellow-soldiers ; I proceeded, after commit- 
ting my spirit, the great object of my solicitude, into the keep- 
ing of Him who had formed and redeemed it, to creep slowly 
forward, feeling at every step the increased difficulty of my 
situation. On getting nearly to the end of the boom, the young 
officer whom I followed and myself were met with a squall of 
wind and rain, so violent as to make us fain to embrace closely 
the slippery stick, without attempting for some minutes to 
make any progress, and to excite our apprehension that we 
must relinquish all hope of reaching the rope. But our fears 
were disappointed, and after resting for a while at the boom 
end, while my companion was descending to the boat, which 
he did not find until he had been plunged once or twice over 
head in the water. I prepared to follow ; and instead of low- 
ering myself, as many had imprudently done, at the moment 
wdien the boat was inclining toward us — and consequently 
being unable to descend the whole distance before it again re- 
ceded — I calculated that while the boat was retiring I ought 
to commence my descent, which would probably be completed 
by the time the returning wave brought it underneath ; by 
which means I was, I. believe, almost the only officer or sol- 
dier who reached the boat without being either severely bruis- 
ed or immersed in the water. But my friend Colonel Fearon 
had not been so fortunate ; for after swimming for some time, 
and being repeatedly struck against the side of the boat, and 
at one time drawn completely under it, he was at last so utterly 
exhausted that he must instantly have let go his hold of the 



LOSS OF THE KENT. 21 

rope and perished, had not one in the boat seized him by the 
hair of the head and dragged him into it, almost senseless and 
alarmingly bruised. 

Captain Cobb, in his immovable resolution to be the last, if 
possible, to quit his ship, and in his generous anxiety for the 
preservation of every life entrusted to his charge, refused to 
seek the boat, until he again endeavored to urge onward the 
few still around him, who seemed struck dumb and powerless 
with dismay. But finding all his entreaties Truitless, and hear- 
ing the guns, whose tackle was burst asunder by the advancing 
flames, successively exploding in the hold into which they had 
fallen — this gallant oflicer, after having nobly pursued, for the 
preservation of others, a course of exertion that has been 
rarely equalled either in its duration or difficulty, at last felt 
it right to provide for his own safety, by laying hold on the 
topping lift, or rope that connects the driver-boom with the 
mizen-top, and thereby getting over the heads of the infatuated 
men who occupied the boom, unable to get either backward 
or forward, and ultimately dropping himself into the water. 

The means of escape, however, did not cease to be presented 
to the unfortunate individuals above referred to, long after 
Captain Cobb took his departure, — since one of the boats 
persevered in keeping its station imder the Kent's stern, not 
only after all expostulation and entreaty with those on board 
had failed, but until the flames, bursting forth from the cabin 
windows, rendered it impossible to remain, wdthout inflicting 
the greatest cruelty upon the individuals that manned it. But 
even on the return of the boat in question to the Cambria, 
with the single soldier who availed himself of it, did Captain 
Cobb, with characteristic anxiety and caution, refuse to allow 
it to come along side, until he learned that it was command- 
ed by the spirited young officer, Mr. Thomson, whose inde- 
fatigable exertions during the whole day were to him a suffi- 
cient proof that all had been done that could be done for the 
deliverance of those individuals. But the same beneficent 
Providence which had been so wonderfully exerted for the 
preservation of hundreds, was pleased by a still more striking 
and unquestionable display of power and goodness, to avert 
the fate of a portion of those few, who, we had all too much 
reason to fear, were doomed to destruction. 

It would appear (for the poor men themselves give an ex- 
tremely confused, though I am persuaded not a wilfully false, 
account of themselves) that shortly after the departure of the 
last boat, they were driven by the flames to seek shelter on 



(:;''<{& 



22 LOSS OF THE KENT. 

the chains, where they stood until the masts fell overboard, 
to which they then clung for some hours, in a state of horror 
that no language can describe; until they were most provi- 
dentially, I may say miraculously, discovered and picked up 
by the humane master (Bibbey) of the Caroline, a vessel on 
its passage from Egypt to Liverpool, who happened to see 
the explosion at a great distance, and instantly made all sail 
in the direction whence it proceeded. 

After the arrival of the last boat, the flames, which had 
spread along the upper deck and poop, ascended with the ra- 
pidity of lightning to the masts and rigging, forming one ge- 
neral conflagration, that illumined the heavens to an immense 
distance, and was strongly reflected upon several objects on 
board the brig. The flags of distress hoisted in the morning, . 
were seen for a considerable time waving amid the flames, 
until the masts to which they were suspended successively 
fell, like stately steeples, over the ship's side. At last, about 
half past one o'clock in the morning, the devouring element 
having communicated to the magazine, the long threatened 
explosion was seen, and the blazing fragments of the once 
magnificent Kent were instantly hurried, like so many rock- 
ets, high into the air; leaving, in the comparative darkness 
that succeeded, the deathful scene of that disastrous day float- 
ing before the mind like some feverish dream.* 

Although, after the first burst of mutual gratulation and of 
becoming acknowledgment of the divine mercy on account 
of our unlooked-for deliverance had subsided, none of us felt 
disposed to much interchange of thought, each being rather 
inclined to wrap himself up in his own reflections ; yet we 
did not, during this first night, view with the alarm it warrant- 
ed, the extreme misery and danger to which we were still ex- 
posed, by being crowded together, in a gale of wind, with up- 
ward of 600 human beings in a small brig of 200 tons, at a 
distance, too, of several hundred miles from any accessible 
port. Our little cabin, which was only calculated, under or- 
dinary circumstances, for the accommodation of eight or ten 
persons, was now made to contain nearly eighty individuals, 
many of whom had no sitting room, and even some of the la- 
dies no room to lie down. OAving to the continued violence 
of the gale, and to the bulwarks on one side of the brig hav- 
ing been driven in, the sea beat so incessantly over our deck 
as to render it necessary that the hatches should only be lift- 

* The brig was about three miles distant from the Kent at the peri- 
od of its explosion. 



LOSS OF THE KENT. 23 

ed up between the returning waves to prevent absolute suffo- 
cation below, where the men were so closely packed together 
that the steam arising from their respiration excited at one 
time an apprehension that the vessel was on fire ; while the 
impurity of the air they were inhaling became so marked, 
that the lights occasionally carried down among them Avere 
almost instantly extinguished. Nor was the condition of the 
hundreds who covered the deck less wretched than that of 
their comrades below ; since they were obliged, night and 
day, to stand shivering, in their wet and nearly naked state, 
ankle deep in water.* 

Our only hope amid these great and accumulating miseries 
was, that the same compassionate Providence which had al- 
ready so marvelously interposed on our behalf, would not 
permit the wind to abate or change until we reached some 
friendly port ; for we were all convinced that a delay of a 
very few days longer at sea must inevitably involve us in fa- 
mine, pestilence, and a complication of the most dreadful evils. 
Our hopes were not disappointed. The gale continued with 
even increasing violence ; and our able captain, crowding all 
sail at the risk of carrying away his masts, so nobly urged 
his vessel onward, that in the afternoon of Thursday the 3d, 
the delightful exclamation from aloft Avas heard, " Land 
ahead!" In the evening Ave descried the Scilly lights; and 
running rapidly along the Cornish coast, we joyfully cast 
anchor in Falmouth harbor, about half past 12 o'clock on the 
following morning. 

* In addition to those Av^ho At'ere naked on board the Kent at the mo- 
ment the alarm of fire was heard, seA^eral indiA'iduals afterward threw 
off their clothes, to enable them the more easily to SAV^im to the boats. 



I 



LOSS OF THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN, 

ON THE COAST OF CAFFRARIA, AUGUST 4,1782; 

With the Particulars relative to the unfortunate survivors of 
the Wreck. 

In the melancholy catalogue of human woes, few things ap- 
pear more eminently disastrous than the general fate of the 
Grosvenor's crew. Slilpwreck is always, even in its mildest 
form, a calamity which fills the mind with horror; but, what 
is instant death, compared to the situation of those who had 
hunger, thirst, and nakedness to contend with; who only es- 
caped the fury of the waves to enter into conflicts with the 
savages of the forest, or the greater savages of the human, 
race ; who were cut off from all civilized society, and felt the 
prolongation of life to be only the lengthened pains of death? 

The Grosvenor sailed from Trincomale, June 13, 1782, 
on her homeward bound vo5^age, and met with no memorable 
occurrq^ice till the 4th of August, the fatal day on which she 
went on shore. 

During tbe two preceding days it had blown very hard, the 
sky was overcast, so that they were unable to take an obser- 
vation ; and it is likewise probable, that from their vicinity to 
the shore, they had been carried out of their course by cur- 
rents. The combination of these circumstances may account 
for the error in their reckoning which occasioned the loss of 
the ship. It appears that Captain Coxson had declared, a 
few hours before the disaster took place, that he computed the 
ship to be at least one hundred leagues from the nearest land, 
and this opinion lulled them into a false security. 

John Hynes, one of the survivors, being aloft with som.e 
others in the night-watch, saw breakers ahead, and asked 
his companions if they did not think land was near. In this 
opmion they all coincided, and hastened to inform the third 
mate, who was the ollicer of the watch. The infatuated 
young man only laughed at their apprehensions ; upon which 
one of them ran to the cabin to acquaint the captain, who in- 
stantly ordered to wear ship. But before this could be ac- 
complished, her keel struck with great force; in an instant 
every person on board hastened on the deck, and apprehen- 
sion and horror were impressed on every countenance. 




LOSS OF THE ENGLISH SHIP KENT. 

The ship Kent, bound to Bengal, on the 28th of Feb., took fire, 
passengers with difficulty saved their lives. — ^p. 20, 



The 




CREW OF THE SHIP HERCULES, 

Reposing at night on the coast of Caffraria, where they were wreck- 
ed in June, 1796.— p. 62. 



LOSS OF THE GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 25 

The captain endeavored to dispel the fears of the passen- 
gers, and begged them to be composed. The pumps were 
sounded, but no water found in the hold, as the ship's stern lay- 
high on the rocks. In a few minutes the wind blew off the 
shore, which filled them with apprehensions lest they should 
be driven out to sea, and thus lose the only chance they had of 
escaping. The powder room was by this time full of water, 
the masts were cut away, without any effect, and the ship 
being driven within a cable's length q{ the shore, all hopes 
of saving her vanished. 

This dismal prospect produced distraction and despair, and 
it is impossible to describe the scene that ensued. Those 
who were most composed set about forming a raft, hoping by 
means of it to convey the women and children and the sick 
to land. Meanwhile three men attempted to swim to the 
shore with the deep sea-line ; one perished in the attempt, 
but the other two succeeded. By these a hawser was at 
length carried to the shore and fastened round the rocks, in 
which operation they were assisted by great numbers of the 
natives, who had come down to the water's edge to witness the 
uncommon sight. 

The raft, being by this time completed, was launched over- 
board, and four men got upon it to assist the ladies ; but they 
had scarce!)'- taken their station before the hawser which was 
fastened round it snapped in two, by which accident it was 
upset, and three of the men drowned. In this dilemma eve- 
ry one began to think of the 'best means of saving hiinself 
The yawl and the jolly boat had already been dashed to pie- 
ces by the violence of the surf ; so that the only means of 
preservation now left was by the hawser made fast to the 
rocks, hand over hand. Several got safe on shore in this 
manner, while others, to the number of fifteen, perished in the 
difiicult attempt. 

The ship soon separated just before the main-mast. The 
wind at the same time providentially shifted to the old quar- 
ter, and blew directly to the land, a circumstance which con- 
tributed greatly to the preservation of those on board, who all 
got on the poop, as being nearest to the shore. The wind 
and surges now impelling them, that part of the wreck on 
which the people were rent asunder fore and aft, the deck 
splitting in two. In this distress they crowded upon the star- 
board quarter, which soon floated into shoal water, the other 
parts of the v.'reck breaking off those heavy seas which would 
othervvdse have ingulfed or dashed them to pieces. Through 

3 



26 LOSS OF THE 

this fortunate incident, all on board, even the ladies and chil- 
dcen, got safe on shore, except the cook's mate, a black, who 
being drunk, could not be prevailed upon to leave the wreck. 

Before this arduous business was well effected night came 
on, and the natives having retired, several iires were lighted 
with fuel from the wreck, and the whole company supped on 
such provisions as they picked up on shore. Two tents 
were formed of sails that had drifted to the shore, and in these 
the ladies were left to repose, while the men wandered about 
in search of such articles as might be of service. 

On the morning of the 5th the natives returned, and with- 
out ceremony carried off whatever suited their fancy. This 
conduct excited a thousand apprehensions, particularly in the 
minds of the females, for .their personal safety ; but observing 
that the savages contented themselves with plunder, their 
fears were somewhat allayed. 

The next day was employed in collecting together all the 
articles that might be useful in their journey to the Cape, to 
which they imprudently resolved to direct their course : a 
resolution which involved them in complicated misery, and 
which can be justified by no wise principle. From the wreck 
they might easily have built a vessel capable of containing 
them all, and by coasting along, they might have reached the 
nearest of the Dutch settlements with half the danger or risk 
to which they were then exposing themselves. Distress, how- 
ever, sometimes deprives men of all presence of mind ; so 
the crew of the Grosvenor, having just escaped the dangers 
of the sea, appear to have considered land as the most desira- 
ble alternative, without reflecting on the almost insuperable 
obstacles that lay in their way. 

On examining their stores, they found themselves in pos- 
session of two casks of flour and a tub of pork that had been 
washed on the beach, and some arrack, which the captain 
prudently ordered to be staved, lest the natives should get at 
it, and by intoxication increase their natural ferocity. 

Captain Coxson now called together the survivors, and hav- 
ing divided the provisions among them, asked if they consent- 
ed to his continuing in the command, to which they unani- 
mously agreed. He then informed them that from the best 
calculation he could make, he was in hopes of being able to 
reach some of the Dutch settlements in fifteen or sixteen 
days. In this calculation the captain was probably not much 
mistaken. Subsequent observations prove that the Grosvenor 
niust have been wrecked between the 27ih and 2Sth decree 



GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 27 

of south latitude ; and as the Dutch colonies extended beyond 
the 3 1st degree, they might have accomplished the journey 
within the time specified, had not rivers intervened and re- 
tarded their progress. 

Every thing being arranged, they set out on their journey 
on the 7th, leaving behind only an old East-India soldier, who 
being lame, preferred trusting himself to the natives till some 
more favorable opportunity of getting away should present 
itself; adding, that he might as well die Avith them as end his 
life on the way with pain and hunger. 

As they moved forward they were followed by some of the 
natives, while others remained at the Avreck. Those who ac- 
companied them plundered them, from time to time, of what- 
ever they liked, and sometimes threw stones at them. After 
proceeding a few miles, they were met by a party of about 
thirty of the natives, whose hair was fastened up in a conical 
form, and their faces painted red. Among these was a man 
who spoke Dutch, who, it afterward appeared, was a runaway 
slave from the Cape, on account of some crimes, and was 
named Trout. When this man came up to the English he 
inquired who they were, and whither they were going. Find- 
ing by their answers that they had been cast away, he in- 
formed them, that their intended journey to the Cape would 
be attended with unspeakable difficulties from the natives, the 
wild beasts, and the nature of the country through which they 
would have to pass. 

Though this did not contribute to raise their spirits, they 
tried to engage him as a guide ; but no arguments could pre- 
vail upon him to comply with their wishes. Finding all their 
solicitations fruitless, they pursued their journey four or five 
days, during which they were constantly surrounded by the 
natives, who took from them whatever they pleased, but in- 
variably retired on the approach of night. 

As they approached they saw many villages, which they 
carefully avoided, that they might be less exposed to the in- 
sults of the natives. At length they came to a deep gully, 
where they were met by three Caffres armed with lances, 
which they held several times to the captain's throat. Irri- 
tated beyond all patience by their conduct, he wrenched one 
of the lances from their hands and broke it. Of this the na- 
tives seemed to take no notice, and went away; but the next 
day, on coming to a large village, they there found the three 
men, with three or four hundred of their countrymen, all 
armed with lances and targets. As the English advanced they 



28 L6SS OF THE 

were stopped by these people, who began to pilfer and insult 
them, and at last fell upon and beat them. 

Conceiving that it was the intention of the natives to kill 
them, they formed a resolution to defend themselves to the 
last extremity. Accordingly, placing the women, the chil- 
dren, and the sick at some distance, the remainder, to the num- 
ber of eighty or ninety, engaged their opponents in a kind of 
running fight for upward of two hours, when our countrymen 
gained an eminence where they could not be surrounded, and a 
kind of parley took place. In this unfortunate encounter many 
were wounded on both sides, but none killed. After a pacifi- 
cation had taken place, the English cut the buttons from their 
coats and presented them to the natives, upon which they 
went away and returned no more. 

The following night they were terrified with the noise of 
wild beasts, so that the men were obliged to keep watch to 
prevent their too near approach. What a dreadful situation, 
especially for females of delicate habits, and so lately possess- 
ing' all the luxuries that eastern refinement could afford ! 

When morning arrived they were again joined by Trout, 
who had been on board the wreck, and had loaded himself 
with various articles of iron and copper, which he wa;* carry- 
ing to his habitation. He cautioned them against making 
any resistance in future, for as they were not furnished with 
any weapons of defence, opposition would only tend to n'ritate 
the natives and increase obstructions. With this advice he 
left them. 

Having made some progress during the day, they agreed 
to pass the night near a deep gully, but were so disturbed by 
the bowlings of wild beasts that they could get but little sleep» 
Though a Jarge fire was kept up to intimidate these unwel- 
come visitors, they came so near as to occasion a general 
alarm. 

The next day as they were advancing,^ a party of natives 
came down upon them, and plundered them, among other- 
thinofs, of their tinder-box, flint, and steel, which proved an 
irreparable loss* They were now obliged to carry with them 
a fire-brand by turns, the natives following them until it was 
almost dark. At length they came to a small river, where 
they determined to stop during the night. Before the natives, 
retired they became more insolent than ever, robbing the gen-^ 
tlemen of their watches, and the ladies of the diamonds which 
they had secreted in their hair. Opposition was in vain ; the 
attempts to resist these outrages being productive of fresh in^* 
suits, and even blows^ 



GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 29 

The following day they crossed the river. Here their pro- 
visions being nearly exhausted, and the delay and fatigue oc- 
casioned by traveling with the women and children being 
very great, the sailors began to murmur, and each seemed 
resolved to shift for himself. Accordingly the captain, with 
Mr. Logie, the first mate, with his wife; the third mate, 
Colonel James and lady, Mr. and Mrs. Hosea, Mr. Newman, 
a passenger, the purser, the surgeon, and five of the children, 
agreed to keep together, and travel as before ; many of the 
sailors were also prevailed upon to attend them, by the liberal 
promises of the passengers. 

On the other hand, Mr. Shaw, the second mate, Mr. Trotter, 
the fourth, Mr. Harris, the fifth. Captain Talbot, Messrs. Wil- 
liams and Taylor, M. D'Espinette, several other gentlemen 
and their servants, together with a number of the seamen, in 
all forty-three persons, among whom was Hynes, from whom 
much information was aifterward obtained, resolved to hasten 
forward. A young gentleman of the name of Law, seven or 
eight years of age, crying after one of the passengers, they 
agreed to take him with them, and to carry him by turns when 
tired. 

This separation was equally fatal, cruel, and impolitic ; 
however, the second mate's party having been stopped by a 
river, they once more joined with great satisfaction, and tra- 
veled in company the whole of that day and part of the next. 

They now arrived at a large village, where they found 
Trout, who introduced his wife and child to them, and begged 
a piece of pork. He informed them that this was his resi- 
dence, and repeated his former declaration, that the natives 
would not suffer him to depart, even if he was inclined to re- 
turn to his own country. He however communicated various 
articles of 'information relative to their journey, for which they 
made due acknowledgments ; but it is to be lamented that he 
could not be induced to extend his services, or rather, that his 
crimes and character rendered, him dangerous to be trusted, 
and fearful of trusting himself among Christians. 

During their conversation with Trout, the natives surround- 
ed them in numbers, and continued to follow them till dusk. 
The two companies passed the night together, but that dis- 
tress which ought to have been the bond of unity, was un- 
fortunately perverted into an occasion for disaffection and 
complaint. 

Their provisions running very short, a party went down 
to the sea-side to seek for shell-fi&'h on the rocks, and found a 

3* 



30 loss OF THE 

considerable quantity of oysters, muscles, and limpets. These 
were divided among the women, the children, and the sick ; 
for the tide happening to come m before they had collected a 
sufficient stock, some of the wretched troop were obliged to 
put up with a very scanty allowance. Alter a repast which 
rather excited than gratified their appetites, they continued 
their march, and about noon reached a small village, where 
an old man approached them, armed with a lance, which he 
levelled, making at the same time a noise somewhat resem- 
bling the report of a musket. From this circumstance, it is 
probable, he was acquainted with the use of fire arms, and 
apprehended they would kill his cattle, for he immediately 
drove his herd into the kraal ; an enclosure, where they are 
always secured upon the approach of danger, and during the 
night. The old man took no further notice of the English, 
but they were followed by some of the other inhabitants of 
the village, who behaved extremely ill. 

The final separation now took place ; they parted to meet 
no more. In adopting this resolution they appear to have 
been infiiuenced by motives which had, at least, the specious 
appearance of reason. They conceived that by pursuing 
different routes, and traveling in small parties, they should be 
less the objects of jealousy to the natives, and could the more 
easily procure subsistence. To counterbalance these advan- 
tages, however, they lost that unity of action, that systematic 
direction, which a prudent superior can communicate to those 
under his care ; and by rejecting established authority, they 
soon split into parties, guided only by caprice, and swayed by 
temporary views. After all, they did not part without evinc- 
ing those emotions so honorable to human nature : their mis- 
fortunes had, in some measure, levelled distinctions, and the 
services of the lowest were regarded as tokens of friendship, 
not expressions of duty. 

From this period the fate of the captain and his associates 
is almost wholly unkno^Ti. But imagination cannot form a 
scene of deeper distress than what the delicate and tender sex 
and the innocent children must have experienced. From the 
accounts of some of the party who survived their distresses, 
and subsequent inquiries, it is probable that the hand of death 
soon released them from their accumulated ills ; though the 
public mind was long harassed with the belief that a few 
had been doomed to worse than death by the natives. 

The separation being decided upon, the party which had 
attached itself to the second mate, traveled till it was quite 



GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 31 

dark, when, arriving- at a convenient spot, they kindled a fire 
and reposed for the night. 

Next day they proceeded, as they conjectured, thirty miles ; 
and though they saw great numbers of the natives, they re- 
ceived from them not the least molestation. Toward the close 
of the day they reached an extensive wood, and being fearful 
of entering it, lest they might lose their way, they spent a 
restless night on its verge, being terribly alarmed by the howl- 
ing of wild beasts. 

They continued their route the following day till noon, with- 
out any other food than wild sorrel and such berries as they 
observed the birds to peck at. None of the natives made their 
appearance. The wanderers having reached a point of the 
rocks, found some shell-fish, and after refreshing themselves 
they advanced till they came to the banks of a large river, 
where they reposed. 

Next morning, finding the river very broad and deep, and 
several of the company being unable to swim, they resolved 
to follow its ^^dndings, and seek some place where it was ford- 
able. In their way they passed many villages, the inhabit- 
ants of which were too m'^'^.h alarmed to yield them any as- 
sistance. Pursuing the course of the river a considerable way, 
and not finding it become narrower, they determined to con- 
struct catamarans, a kind of a raft, in order to cross it. This 
being effected with such materials as they found on the banks, 
those who could not swim Avere placed upon the float, which 
being impelled by the others, they all crossed it in safety, 
though the river was computed to be not less than two miles 
over. 

It was now three days since they had left the sea, and dur- 
ing that period they had scarcely taken any nourishment but 
water and a little wild sorrel. They therefore again directed 
their course to the shore, where they were fortunate enough 
to find abundance of shell-fish, which afforded them a very 
seasonable refreshment. 

After following the trendings of the coast for three or four 
days, during which the natives suffered them to pass without 
molestation, penetrating a pathless wood, where perhaps no 
human being ever trod, uncertain which way to proceed, in- 
commoded by the heat, and exhausted by the fatigues of their 
march, they were almost ready to sink, when they reached 
the summit of a hill. Here they rested, and had the satisfac- 
tion to see a spacious plain before them, through which a fine 
stream meandered. As the wild beasts, however, were accus- 



32 LOSS OF THE 

tomed, in their nocturnal prowlings, to resort to this place for 
water, the situation of the travelers was perilous, and subject 
to continual alarms. 

In the morning one of the party ascended a lofty tree to 
observe the tren dings of the coast, after which they resumed 
their course, and entered another wood just as the night set in. 
Having passed it by paths which the wild beasts alone had 
made, they again reached the sea-coast. Here they made 
fires, which, after the fatigues they had undergone, was a 
toilsome business, and threw into them the oysters they had 
collected, to make them open, as they had not a single knife 
remaining among them. On this spot they reposed, but found 
no water. 

Next day the wanderers, in the course of their journey, 
had the good fortune to discover a dead whale, which sight, 
in their present situation, afforded them no little satisfaction. 
The want of a knife to cut it up prevented them from taking 
full advantage of this accidental supply ; some of them, though 
in the extremity of hunger, nauseated this food ; while others, 
making a fire on the carcass, dug out the part, thus roasted, 
with oyster shells, and made a hcirty meal. 

A fine level country now presented itself, the sight of which 
caused them to believe that their fatigues were near a termina- 
tion, and that they had reached the northernmost part of the 
Dutch colonies. Here new dissensions arose, some advising 
that they should penetrate inland, while others persevered in 
the original plan of keeping in the vicinity of the sea-coast. 

After many disputes another division of the party took 
place. Mr. Shaw, the fourth mate, Mr. Harris, the fifth, 
Messrs. Williams and Taylor, Capt. Talbot, and seamen, to 
the number of twenty-two persons, among whom was Hynes 
the reporter, resolved to proceed inland. The carpenter, the 
ships steward, M. D'Espinette, M. Oliver, with about twenty- 
four seamen, continued to follow the shore. 

The party which took the interior proceeded for three days 
through a very pleasant country, where they saw a great num- 
ber of deserted kraalls. During this time they had nothing to 
subsist on but a few oysters which they carried with them, 
and some berries and wild sorrel gatiiered on the way. The 
effects of hunger soon compelled them to return to the coast, 
where, as usual, they found a supply of shell-fish. As they 
were proceeding up a steep hill, soon after their separation, 
Capt. Talbot complained of great lassitude, and repeatedly 
sat down to rest himself. The company several times in- 



6ROSTENOR INDIAMAN. 33 

dulged him by doing the same ; but perceiving that he was 
quite exhausted, they went on, leaving him and his faithful 
servant, Blair, sitting beside each other, and neither of them 
were heard of any more. 

Having reposed near the shore, the next day, about noon, 
they arrived at a small river, where they found tVN'o of the 
carpenter's party, who, being unable to swim, had been left 
behind. The joy of these poor creatures at the sight of their 
comrades was excessive. They were preserved since they 
had been in this place almost by a miracle, for while they 
were gathering shell-fish on the beach, their fire went out, so 
that it was wonderful how they escaped being devoured by 
the wild beasts. 

They were with difficulty got over the river, and traveling 
on for four days more, the party came to another river, of such 
breadth that none of them would attempt to pass it. Having 
no alternative, they marched along its banks, in hopes of find- 
ing a practicable passage, and arrived at a village, where the 
natives showed them the inside of a watch, w^hich some of 
the carpenter's party had given for a little milk. Mr. Shaw 
conceiving that such a traffic would not be unacceptable, of- 
fered them the inside of his watch for a calf. To these terms 
they assented, but no sooner had they obtained possession of 
the price than they withheld the calf, which w^as immediately 
driven out of the village. 

They continued their march along the river for several 
d£^ys, and passed through several villages without molestation 
from the inhabitants, till they came to a part where they con- 
ceived they should be able to cross. Having constructed a 
catamaran, as before, they all crossed the river in safety, ex- 
cepting the two who had been left behind by the carpenter's 
party, and w^ho were afraid to venture. These unfortunate 
men were never seen afterward. 

Having gained the opposite bank, the company now pro- 
ceeded, in an oblique direction, toward the shore, which they 
reached about noon on the third day. The next morning, at 
the ebbing of the tide, they procured some shell-fish, and 
having refreshed themselves, they pursued their journey. 

In the course of that day's march they fell in with a party 
of the natives, belonging, as they imagined, to a new nation, 
by Avhom they were beaten and extreaaely ill treated. To 
avoid their persecutions they concealed themselves in the 
woods till the savages had retired, when they assembled again 
SR^ lesumed their march. They had not proceeded far be- 



34 LOSS OF THE 

fore they perceived the prints of human feet in the sand, from 
which they concluded that their late companions were before 
them. In the hope of rejoining them they traced their sup- 
posed footsteps for a while, but soon lost them among the 
rocks and grass. 

After some time they came to another river, not very broad, 
but of considerable depth, which they passed in safety on a 
catamaran, as before. Nothing remarkable occurred during 
the three following days ; but at the expiration of that period 
they overtook the carpenter's party, whose sufferings they 
found had been even more severe than their own. The car- 
penter himself had been poisoned by eating some kind of fruit, 
with the nature of which he was unacquainted ] M. D'Espi- 
nette, and M. Olivier, worn out Avith famine and fatigue, had 
been left to their fate. The unfortunate little traveler, Law, 
was still with them, and had hitherto supported every hard- 
ship in an astonishing manner. 

Thus once more united, they proceeded together till they 
came to a sandy beach, where they found a couple of planks 
with a spike nail in each. This convinced them that some 
European ships had been near the coast, or that they were in 
the vicinity of some settlement. The nails were prizes of the 
first consequence : these being flattened between two stones, 
were shaped into something like knives, and, to men in their 
situation, were considered a most valuable acquisition. 

In a short time they came to another river, on whose banks 
they accidentally found fresh water, which induced them to 
rest there for the night. In the morning they crossed the 
river, and on examining the shore they found another dead 
whale, w^hich diffused a general joy, till a large party of the 
natives, armed with lances, came down upon them. These 
people, however, perceiving the deplorable condition of the 
travelers, conducted themselves in such a pacific manner as 
to dispel their apprehensions. One of them even lent those 
who were employed on the whale, his lance, by means of 
which, and their two knives, they cut it into junks, and car- 
ried off a considerable quantity till they could find w^ood and 
water to dress it. 

On coming to a river the following day, another of the party 
dropped, and they w^ere under the cruel necessity of leaving 
him behind. Having plenty of provisions, they now proceeded 
four days without intermission; and procuring a stick, they set 
about making a kind of calendar, by cutting a notch for every 
day; but in crossing a river, this register of time was lost, 



GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 35 

and the care they had taken to compute their melancholy dayg 
was of no avail. 

They soon reached a new river, where they halted for the 
night. The frequent impediments of rivers much retarded 
their progress. Few of these, however, are of very great 
magnitude at any distance from the sea ; but as they deriveii 
all their subsistence from the watery element, they were oblig- 
ed to submit to the inconvenience of passing them in general 
where the tide flowed. This will account for difficulties, from 
which, had it been practicable, a more inland course would 
have exempted them. 

As the weather was very unfavorable next morning, some 
of the company were afraid to cross the river, upon which 
Hynes, and about ten more, being impatient to proceed, swam 
across, leaving the rest, among whom was master Law, be- 
hind them. Having gained the opposite shore, they proceed- 
ed till they came to a place where they met with shell-fish, 
wood and water. Here they halted two days, in expectation 
of the arrival of the others ; but as it still blew fresh, they con- 
cluded that their more timorous companions had not ventured 
to cross the river ; therefore, thinking it in vain to wait any 
longer, they went forward. 

They had not traveled many hours before they had the 
good fortune to discover a dead seal on the beach. One of 
the knives being in the possession of this party, they cut up 
their prey, dressed part of the flesh on the spot, and carried 
the rest with them. 

The next morning the party left behind overtook them. ^ It 
was now conducted by the ship's steward, and in the interval 
from the recent separation, it appeared that they had suffi^red 
extremely from the natives, from hunger and fatigue, and that 
five of them were no more. Thus these unfortunate men 
v/ere rapidly losing some of their body ; yet the reflection of 
their forlorn condition did not rouse them to the good effects 
of unanimity, which alone, had it been a permanent principle, 
or enforced by authority to which they ought to have submit- 
ted, might have saved them many distresses, and would have 
tended to the preservation of numbers. Concord is always 
strength; the contrary, even in the happiest circumstances, is 
weakness and ruin. 

Having shared the remainder of the seal among them, and 
taken some repose, they again proceeded in one bod}^ and 
ofter some time came to a lofty mountain, which it was neces- 
sary to cross, or go round the blufT point of a rock on which 



36 LOSS OF THE 

the surf beat with great violence. The latter appearing to 
be much the shortest passage, they chose it, but had reason to 
repent their determination, as they had a miraculous escape 
with their lives. Some of them not only lost their provisions, 
but their fire-brands, which they had hitherto carefully carried 
with them, were extinguished by the waves. 

Dispirited by this essential loss, which was their chief pro- 
tection from the wild beasts, they felt the misery of their situa- 
tion with aggravated force, and an additional gloom clouded 
their future prospects. Marching along in this disconsolate 
mood, they fell in wdth some female natives, who immediately 
fled. When the travelers came up to the spot where these 
women had been first descried, they had the satisfaction to 
find that the fire on which they had been dressing muscles 
was not extinguished. With joy they lighted their brands, 
and after a few hours repose pursued their course. 

Next day they arrived at a village, where the natives offer- 
ed to barter a young bullock with them. The inside of a 
watch, some buttons, and other trifles, were offered and readi- 
ly accepted in exchange ; the beast being delivered up, was 
despatched by the lance of one of the natives. The Cafires 
were pleased to receive back the entrails, and the carcass 
being divided in the most impartial manner, our people took 
up their abode for that night near the village, and the next 
moroiing passed another river on a catamaran. 

The bullock was the only sustenance they had hitherto re- 
ceived from the natives, by barter or favor, excepting that the 
women sometimes gave the poor children who accompanied 
them some milk. Among the most barbarous nations, the 
females, to the honor of their sex, are always found to be 
comparatively humane, and never was there a more just ob- 
ject of commiseration than master Law. Hitherto he had got 
on tolerable well, through the benevolent attention of his com- 
panions. He walked when able, and Avheti tired, they carri- 
ed him in turn without a murmur. None ever obtained any 
food without allowing him a share. When the rest were col- 
lecting shell-fish he was left to watch the fire, and on their 
return he participated in the spoils. 

They now entered a sandy desert, which they were ten days 
in passing. In this desolate tract they had many rivers to 
pass ; and had it not been for the supply of food they carried 
with them, they must all have perished. However, they had 
wood in abundance, seldom failed to find water by digging 
in the sand, and being s.afe from the apprehension of the na- 




UNITED STATES SLOOP OF WAR HORNET. 

Lost in 1830.— p. 85. 




RUSSIAN SAILORS, 

On the Island of Spitzbergen, making signals to the ship by which 
ihey were rescued, after having been on the island upwards of six 
years. — p. 116. 



GROSVENOR INDIAMAX. 37 

tives, this appears to have been the most pleasant part of their 
journey. 

Having crossed the desert, they entered the territories of a 
new nation, by whom they were sometimes maltreated, and at 
others \vere suffered to pass without molestation. Being now 
on the borders of the ocean, they fell in with a party of the na- 
tives, who, by signs, advised them to go inland ; and comply- 
ing with their directions, they soon arrived at a village, where 
they found only women and children. The women brought 
out a little milk, which they gave to Master Law. It was 
contained in a small basket, curiously formed of rushes, and. 
so compact as to hold any kind of liquid. Here they had an 
opportunity of examining several huts, and observing the mode 
in which the natives churn their butter. The milk is put into 
a leather bag, which is suspended in the middle of the tent, 
and pushed backward and forward by two persons, till the but- 
ter arrives at a proper consistence. When thus prepared, they 
mix it with soot, and anoint themselves with the composition, 
which proves a defence against the intense heat of the climate, 
and renders their limbs uncommonly pliant and active. 

While the travelers were resting themselves, the men be- 
longing to the village returned from hunting, each bearing 
upon the point of his spear a piece of deer's flesh. They 
formed a ring round the strangers, and seemed to gaze on 
them with admiration. After having satisfied their curiosity, 
they produced two bowls of milk, which they appeared willing 
to barter ; but as our wretched countrymen had nothing to 
give in exchange, they drank it up themselves. 

Scarcely had they finished their meal, when they all rose 
lip, and in an instant went off into the woods, leaving the Eng- 
lish under some apprehensions as to the cause of their sudden 
motion. In a short time, however, they returned with a deer, 
and though our people earnestly entreated to be permitted to 
partake of the spoil, the natives not only disregarded their 
solicitations, but likewise insisted on their quitting the kraal. 
This they were obliged to comply with, and after walking a 
few miles, they lay down to rest. 

For several days they pursued their journey without any 
remarkable occurrence. They frequently fell in with the na- 
tives, who had ^reat numbers of oxen, but they would part 
with nothing without a return, which was not in the power 
of the travelers to make. They had, however, the negative 
satisfaction of not being annoyed in their progress. They now 
came to another river, where they saw three or four liHts, coa- 

4 



38 LOSS OF THE 

taining only women and children. The flesh of sea-cows anc 
sea-lions was hanging up to dry, of which the women gavt 
the travelers a part. They slept that night at a small distance 
from these huts. 

Next morning Hynes and nine others swam across the 
river, but the rest were too timorous to make the attempt. 
Those who had crossed the river, soon afterward had the 
good fortune to observe a seal asleep, just at high-water mark, 
and having cut off his retreat, they found means to kill him. 
Having divided the flesh, they traveled four or five days, oc- 
casionally falling in with the natives, who, upon the whole, 
behaved with tolerable forbearance. 

They now arrived at another river, which they were obli- 
ged to cross, and proceeding on their route, the next day 
found a whale; and thus being well supplied with provisions, 
they resolved to halt for their companions ; but after waiting 
in vain two days, they proceeded without them. They after- 
ward found that their companions had taken a more inland 
route, and had got before them. Having, therefore, cut up as 
mucjti of the whale as they could carry, and being much re- 
freshed, they proceeded with alacrity, having now no neces- 
sity to loiter in quest of food. 

Thus they traveled for more than a week, and in their way 
discovered some pieces of rags, which satisfied them that 
their late associates had got the start of them. They now 
entered an extensive sandy desert, and finding, toward the 
close of the first day, but little prospect of obtaining either 
wood or water, they were much disheartened. To their joy, 
however, at the entrance of a deep guUey they saw the fol- 
lowing words traced on the sand : Turn in here and you icill 
find plenty of loood omd water. This cheered them like a re- 
velation from heaven, and on entering the gulley they found 
the notification verified, and the; remains of several fires, vrhich 
assured them that their late companions had reposed in the 
same place. 

They^ proceeded several days, proportionably exhausted 
with fatigue as they advanced, but without any m.emorable 
occurrence. They now came to a bluff point of a rock, which 
projected so far into the sea as to obstruct their progress, s^o 
that they were obliged to direct their course more inland. 
To add to their distress, their provisions were again exhaust- 
ed, when, arriving at a large pond, they luckily found a num- 
ber of land-crabs, snails, and some sorrel in the vicinity, and 
on these they made a satisfactory meal. 



GROSVEN0R INDIAMAN. 39 

As soon as it dawned they resumed their journey, and en- 
tering a wood, they observed many of the trees torn up by 
the roots. While they were lost in amazement at this phe- 
nomenon, to their terror and astonishment thirty or forty large 
elephants started up out of the long grass, with which the 
ground was covered. The travelers stood some moments in 
suspense whether they Avould retreat or advance ; but by 
taking a circuitous course, they passed these enormous crea- 
tures without any injury. The grass in which they lay was 
not less than eight or nine feet high. This may appear 
strange to those who are not acquainted with the luxuriant 
vegetation of tropical climates, but other travelers of unques- 
tionable veracity have made the same remarks on Africa. 

Having reached the sea-shore- that night, our travelers 
were miserably disappointed by the state of the tide, which 
deprived them of their usual supplies of shell-fish. To such 
extremes were they in consequence reduced, that some of 
.hem, who had made shoes of the hide of the bullock obtained 
in barter from the natives, singed off the hair, broiled and ate 
them. This unsavory dish they rendered as palatable as pos- 
sible by means of some wild celery they found on the spot, 
ind the whole party partook of it. 

At low water they went as usual to the rocks to procure 
ihell-fish ; and as they proceeded they often perceived evi- 
lent traces of that division of their party which had got the 
;tart of them. In two days time they fell in with a hunting 
mrty of the natives, who offered no molestation to our people 
IS they passed, and for several days they every where be- 
laved with the same forbearance. 

After passing two rivers, and finding no fresh water near 
hem, they entered a sterile country, where the natives ap- 
peared to have nothing to subsist on but what they derived 
Yom hunting and fishing. What then must have been the si- 
tuation of our travelers ! They had not a drop of water for 
several days ; and a few berries which they occasionally pick- 
ed up, were the only alleviation of their burning thirst. How- 
ever, they soon reached Caffraria, properly so called, which 
they found to be a fine populous country. 

During their march through this territory our travelers 
were absolutely starving in the midst of plenty. They saw 
abundance of cattle, but so tenacious were the natives of their 
property, that they would not part with any thing gratuitously, 
and our people had nothing to give in barter. So apprehen- 
sive Avere the Caffres lest these poor vagrants might commit 



40 LOSS OF THE 

depredations, that they constantly secured their cattle as they 
approached, and even used violence to keep them at a dis- 
tance. So true it is that in all countries poverty is consider- 
ed rather as a crime than a misfortune, and that he who has 
nothing to bestow, is immediately suspected of an intention 
to take away. 

But the Caffres had been characterized as a humane and 
inoffensive people. How are we then to reconcile this de- 
scription with the conduct they displayed to our countrymen? 
May not the idea that they were Dutchmen, solve the difficul- 
ty ? Between the Caffres and the Dutch colonists an invete- 
rate enmity subsisted at that period. The Caffres had been 
treated with unparalleled cruelty and oppression by the white 
people with whom they were conversant ; all white people 
were, therefore, probably regarded as enemies. Among un- 
civilized nations, wherever any intercourse has been establish- 
ed with Europeans, the characters of the latter, in general, 
have been determined from the conduct of a worthless few. 
Thus, as on other important occasions, many suffer for the 
vices of individuals. 

Our travelers, every where repelled or regarded with ap- 
prehension, at length came to a river, and having crossed it, 
were met by a party of natives, one of whom had adorned 
his hair with a piece of a silver buckle, which was known to 
have belonged to the ship's cook. It seemed the cook, who 
set a particular value upon his buckles, had covered them 
with bits of cloth, to conceal them from the natives ; but at 
length hunger had compelled him to break them up, in order 
to barter them for food : but no sooner was the price deposited 
than the natives broke their engagement, as had been their 
general practice, except in one solitary instance, and drove 
the claimants away. 

Hynes and his party were roughly handled by the natives 
tliey had fallen in with. To avoid their persecution, they 
traveled till late at night, and after reposing for a few hours, 
they recommenced their journey before it was light, that they 
might escape a repetition of their ill treatment. 

Next day about noon they reached a spot where there was 
good water, and the probability of finding an abundance of 
shell-fish; here, being much fatigued, they determined to 
spend the night. While in this situation they were overtaken 
by a tremendous storm of thunder and lightning, and the rain 
poured down in such torrents that they were obliged to hold 
up *lieir canvass frocks over the fire to save it from being ex.- 



GROSYEIIfOR INDIAMAN. 41 

tinguished. Next day at low water, they found shell-fish as 
usual, staid some time to dry their clothes, and then resumed 
their journey. Coming to a large village, the inhabitants fell 
upon them with such fury that several of them were wound- 
ed, in consequence of which one man died soon afterward. 
Hynes received a wound in his leg from a lance, and bemg 
knocked down, was left senseless on the spot by his compa- 
nions, who supposed him dead. However, in a few hours, to 
their great joy, he rejoined his countrymen, who had despair- 
ed of ever seeing him .again. 

From this time they lost sight of the habitations of the na- 
tives, and entered a sandy desert, where it was with the ut- 
most difficulty they could procure any subsistence. At inter- 
vals, indeed, they experienced the usual bounty of the sea, 
and having collected as many shell-fish as possible, they open- 
ed them in the fire, and taking out the animal, left the shell, 
which greatly diminished the labor of carriage. 

Having passed the desert, they arrived at a large river, 
which, as they afterward learned from the Dutch, is called 
Bosje?man's river. Here they found Thomas Lewis, one or 
the party which had gone before them, who having been ta- 
ken ill, was abandoned to his fate. He informed them that he 
had traveled inland and seen many huts, at one of which he 
obtained a little milk, and at another was beaten away. He 
added, that having reached the place where he now was, he 
found himself too weak to cross the river, and was, therefore, 
determined to return to the nearest kraal, indifferent as to his 
reception or his life. In vain his companions strove to over- 
come this determination. They flattered him with the hope of 
yet being able to reach the Cape, but their encouragement 
was ineffectual. Both his body and mind were broken down ; 
he had drained the cup of affliction to the dregs ; despair had 
laid her iron hand upon him, and sealed him for her own. In 
spite of all their entreaties he went back to the natives, and 
once more had the good fortune to receive assistance when he 
eould least of all expect it, and in such a shape as proved ef- 
fectual to his preservation. But we are anticipating events. 

On exploring the sea-coast, our people, to their great joy, 
discovered another whale, and having cut the flesh into junks, 
took with them as much of it as they were able to carry. 
Again losing sight of the natives and their huts, they were 
kept in continual alarm by the wild beasts, which were here 
more numerous than in any part of the country through which 
they had hitherto passed, 

4* 



42 LOSS or TiTff 

On the fourth day after passing the river, they overtook 
the ship's steward and Master Law, who still survived inex- 
pressible hardships. From them they learned that the coop- 
er had been buried the preceding evening in the sand ; but 
when Hynes and the steward went to take a farewell view of 
the spot, they found, to their surprise and horror, that the body 
had been carried off by som^e carnivorous animal, which had 
evidently dragged it to a considerable distance, 

Hynes' party presented the steward and child with some of 
the flesh of the whale, by which they were much refreshed ; 
and for eight or ten days more they all proceeded in company. 
At length they came to a point of rocks, and as the whale was 
by this tin>e wholly consumed, they went round the edge in 
search of such sustenance as the sea might afford. This lock 
up so much time that they vrere obliged to sleep on the rock, 
where they could procure no water but what was very brack- 
ish. In the mxorning the stevs^ard and child were both taken 
ill, and being unable to proceed, the party agreed to halt till 
the next da}^. The extreme coldness of the rock on which 
they had slept produced a sensible effect on them all ; the 
steward and child still continued very ill. Their companions^, 
-therefore, agreed to wait another daj, when, if no favorable 
turn took place, they would be under the painful necessity of 
abandoning them to their fate. But their humanity was not 
put to this severe test, for in the course of the following night 
this poor child resigned his breath, and ceased any longer to 
share their fatigues and sorrovv's. The};^ had left him, as they 
supposed, asleep, near the fire round which they had all rest- 
ed during the night; but when they had made their arrange- 
ments for breakfast, and wished to call him to participate,, 
they foimd that his soul had taken its flight to another world. 

Forgetting their own misery, they sensibly felt for the loss 
of this tender 3-0 uth, and the affliction of the stev/ard in par- 
ticular was inexpressible. This child had been the object ot 
his fondest care during a long and perilou.^ journey, and it 
was with the utmost difficulty that his companions could tea.r 
him from the spot. 

They had not proceeded far before one of the part}?- asked 
hr a shell of water, which being given l.im, he solicited a 
second, and as soon as he had drunk it, lay down and instantly 
expired. So much were they habituated to scenes of distress, 
that by this time death had ceased to be regarded as shock- 
ing; it was even considered by them as a consummation ra- 
ther to be wished for than dreaded. They left the poor man 



GROSVENOR INDlAMAJf. 43 

where he dropped, and had not advanced far, when another 
complained of extreme weakness, and sat down upon the sand 
by the sea-side. Him too they left, compelled by severe neces- 
sity, in order lo seek for wood and water, promising, if they 
were successful, to return to assist him. 

Having sought in vain for a comfortable resting-place for 
the night, they were all obliged to repose on the sands. Re- 
collecting the situation of their comrade, one of the party went 
back to the spot where he had been left, but the unhappy man 
was not to be found ; and as he had nothing to shelter or pro- 
tect him, it is more than probable that he was carried off by 
wild beasts. 

With the first approach of day they resumed their journey, 
but their situation was now more deplorable than ever. Hav- 
ing had no water since the middle of the preceding day, they 
suffered exceedingly from thirst, the glands of their throats 
and their mouths Vv-ere much swollen ; and in the extremity of 
thirst they were induced to swallov^' their own urine. 

This was the crisis of calamity. The misery they now 
imdervv-ent was too shocking lo relate. Having existed for 
two days without food or vrater, they were reduced to such an 
extremity, that when any of them could not famish himself 
with a draug'ht of urine, he Avould borrow a shellfull of his 
more fortunate com.panion, till he was able to pay it. The 
steward, whose benevolence ought to immortalize his memory, 
now followed his little favorite to another vvorld. In short, 
to such a state of wretchedness were they now reduced, that 
death was stripped of all its terrors. 

Next morning two more of the party were reduced to a 
very languid state ; one of them, unable to proceed a step far- 
ther, lay down, and his companions, incapable of affordisg 
him any a-^ssistance, took an aiieetionate farewell, and left 
him to expire. 

Toward evening they reached a deep gully, which they 
entered, in the hope of meeting with fresh water. Here they 
found another of the Grosvenor's crew lying dead, with his 
right hand cut off at the wrist. A circumstance so singular 
could not fail to attract the notice of his companions, espe- 
cially as they recollected that it had been the common asseve- 
ration of the deceased — Ma9/ the Devil cut my right arm of, 
if il be not true ! It had a sensible effect upon his comrades 
for a time, as they superstitiously imagined that Providence 
had interfered, by a miracle, to show its indignation against 
his pxofkneness. 



44 LOSS OF THE 

One of the company, who had lost his own cloth&s in cross- 
ing a river, took the opportunity of supplying himself by 
stripping the dead man, and then they proceeded till night, 
without any other sustenance than what their o^vn water af- 
forded them. 

Next day brought no alleviation of their miseries. Neces- 
sity impelled them to proceed, though hope scarcely darted a 
ray through the gloom of their prospects. The whole party 
was at last reduced to three persons, Hynes, Evans, and 
Wormington, and these could hope to survive their compa- 
nions only a few days. Their faculties rapidly declined, they 
could scarcely hear or see, and a vertical sun darted its beams 
so intensely upon them, that it was with the utmost difficulty 
they could proceed. 

Their misery, from thirst, now became so intolerable, that 
Wormington earnestly importuned his companions to deter- 
mine, by lot, which of them should die, in order that the others 
might be preserved by drinking his blood. Hynes, though al- 
most childish, was shocked at the proposal ; his tears flowed 
abundantly, and he declared that as long as he was able to 
walk he could not think of casting lots ; but that, if he should 
be obliged to drop, they might then use him as they pleased. 
Upon this Wormington, shaking hands with Hynes and 
Evans, suffered them to proceed without him. 

Every hour now seemed to throw a deeper gloom over 
their fate ; nature could support no more. Hynes and Ev- 
ans, however, made another effort to advance, without even 
indulging a hope of the possibility of relief. They this day 
saw something before them which had the appearance of large 
birds, but their surprise maybe conceived, when, upon a nearer 
approach, they discovered them to be men. Nearly blind 
and idiots, they did not at first recollect their newly found 
companions, but after some time they recognized in them 
four of the steward's party from which they had been sepa- 
rated. One of them, a boy, named Price, advanced to meet 
them, and gave them the pleasing information that his asso- 
ciates had fresh water in their possession. This inspired them 
with new life, and reciprocal inquiries were made relative to 
the fate of their lost companions. The three men whom 
Hynes and his companion had overtaken, were named Berney, 
Leary and De Lasso, who hearing that Wormington was left 
behind, the two latter went in search of him, charging those 
who remained not to sufler Hynes and Evans to drink too freely 
of the water, as several had expired from the eagerness with 
which they swallowed that fluid after long abstinence. 



GROSTENOR INDIAMAN. 45 

Wormington was recovered by the humanity of those who 
went in search of him, and a painful detail of sufferings suc- 
ceeded. It appeared that the captain's steward had been bu- 
ried in the sand of the last desert over which they passed, 
and that the survivors weie reduced to such extremity, that 
after his interment two of the party was sent back to cut oft 
his flesh for their immediate support ; but while proceeding 
upon this horrid errand, they had the good fortune to disco- 
ver a young seal, newly driven on shore, and fresh bleeding, 
which proved a most seasonable relief. They farther stated, 
that they had obtained shell-fish in the sand, when none were 
to be seen upon it, by observing the manner in which the 
birds scratched for them. Without this discovery they must 
inevitably have perished. 

Hynes and Evans recounting their adventures to the party 
they had joined, among other circumstances, mentioned that 
the ship's steward, whom he had left to expire on the road, 
had on very decent clothes. This tempted one of them to 
propose to Evans, who was by this time pretty well recovered, 
to go back to the spot and strip the body, but the steward 
could not be found, and they concluded that tbc wild beasts 
had anticipated their design. In the evening Evans returned, 
but without his companion, who had been so indolent, and ad- 
vanced with such a slow pace, that the former was obliged to 
leave him behind. As he was never seen afterward, no^-doubt 
can be entertained but that he likewise fell a victim to the 
ravenous beasts. These were so numerous as to be seen in 
troops of twenty or more ; and it was the common and effec- 
tual practice of the travelei^ to shout as loud as possible to 
drive away those formidable animals. 

Having now arrived at a favorable spot for water and shell- 
fish, they employed two days in collecting provisions for their 
future march, and in refreshing themselves. Rest and food 
had an astonishing effect in restoring not only the powers of 
the body, but of the mind; and in a short time they thought 
themselves qualified to encounter new fatigues. 

With extreme difficulty and danger they passed a large 
river, supposed to be the Sontag,* on a catamaran, and having 
reached the opposite shore, they looked back with terror and 
amazement on their fortunate escape from being driven out to 
sea by the rapidity of the stream. Here they likewise found 
a kind of shell-fish which buries itself in the sand, and whicU 
increased their supplies. 

* Sunday river. 



46 



LOSS OF THE 



The united parly, consisting of six persons, pursued their 
route over a desert country, where neither hut nor native was 
to be seen, and in six days reached the Scwartz river,* as 
they afterwards learned, on the banks of which they took usp 
their abode for the night. 

The country at length began to assume a fertile and culti- 
vated appearance, and some huts appeared at a distance from 
the shore. While contemplating with pleasure this change 
of prospect, the grass near them took fire, and spread with 
great rapidity. They all used' every effort to extinguish it, 
lest this involuntary mischief should provoke the resentnienl 
of the natives, or the blaze call them to the spot. 

Next morning they swam over the river in safety, and soon 
discovered another dead whale lying on the sea-shore. Thu3 
supplied with food they purposed resting here a few days, 
if they could have found fresh water, but that necessary ar- 
ticle being wanting, they cut up as much of the whale as they 
could carry, and proceeded on their route. In two hours 
they came to a thicket, where they met with water, and halted 
to rest. 

Next morning four of the party went back to the whale for 
a larger supply, De Lasso and Price being left in charge of 
the fire. As Price was collecting fuel, he perceived at a little 
distance two men with guns, and being intimidated at the 
sight, he returned hastily to the fire, whither the w^elcome in- 
truders pursued him. These men belonged to a Dutch set- 
tlement in the neighborhood, and were in search of some 
strayed cattle. One of them, named John Battores, supposed 
to be a Portuguese, was able to converse with De Lasso, the 
Italian, so as to be understood, a circumstance as fortunate as 
it w^as little to be expected. Battores having learned the out- 
line of their melancholy story, accompanied them to the whale, 
where their companions w^ere employed in cutting away the 
flesh. Affected at the sight of these miserable objects, he de- 
sired them to throw away what they had been collecting, pro- 
mising them better fare when they reached the habitation to 
which he belonged. 

In vain shall we attempt to describe the sensations of the 
shipwrecked wanderers on receiving this intelligence, and 
that they were within four hundred miles of the Cape. The 
joy that instantly filled every bosom produced effects as va- 
rious as extraordinary : one man laughed, another wept, and 
the third danced with transport. 

*Z wart river. 



GROSVEXOR INDIAMAN. 47 

On reaching the house of Mynheer Christopher Roostooff, 
to whom Battores was bailiff, they were treated with the 
kindest attention. The master, on being acquainted with 
their distress, immediately ordered bread and milk to be set 
before them ; but acting rather on the principles of humanity 
than prudence, he furnished them with such a quantity that 
their weak stomachs were overloaded. After their meal, 
sacks were spread upon the ground for them to repose on. 

It had been so long since they had knoA\Ti any thing of the 
calculation of time, that they were unacquainted even with 
the name of the month ; and they were given to understand, 
that the day of their deliverance was the 29th of November ; 
so that one hundred and seventeen days had revolved their 
melancholy hours since they were shipwrecked; a period of 
suffering almost unparalleled, and during which they had 
often been miraculously preserved. 

Next morning Mynheer Roostooff killed a sheep for the en- 
tertainment of his guests, and another Dutchman, of the name 
of Q,uin, came with a cart and six horses to convey them 
towards the Cape. The boy Price, being lame from the 
hardships he had undergone, was detained at Roostooff's 
house, Avho kindly undertook his cure, and promised to send 
him after the others when he was recovered. The rest of 
the party proceeded to Q,uin's house, where they were hos- 
pitabl}'- entertained four days. 

From that time they were forwarded in carts, from one 
settlement to another, till they arrived at Swellendam,* about 
one hundred miles from the Cape. Wherever they passed 
they experienced the humanity of the farmers, and their 
wants were relieved with a liberal hand. 

At Swellendam they were detained till orders should be re- 
ceived from the governor at the Cape, in regard to their future 
destiny, Holland and Great-Britain being at that time at war. 
At length two of the party were ordered to be forwarded to 
the Cape, in order to be examined, while the rest were to re- 
main at Swellendam. Accordingly Wormington and Leary 
proceeded to the Cape, where, after being strictly interroga- 
ted, thev were sent on board a Dutch man of war lying in the 
bay, with orders that they should be set to work. While in 
this situation, Wormington having discovered that the boat- 
swain was engaged in some fraudulent practices, imprudently 
threatened to give information, on which the boatsv^ain de- 

* Zwelleodam. 



48 LOSS OF THE 

siring him and his companion to step into a boat, conveyed 
them on board a Danish East Indiaman just getting- under 
W€igh, and by this fortunate accident they first reached their 
native land. 

But to return to the fate of the rest. Though the flames 
of war were raging between the two nations, the Dutch go- 
vernment at the Cape, being informed of the particulars of the 
loss of the Grosvenor, Avith a humanity which does them in- 
finite honor, despatched a large party in quest of the unhap- 
py wanderers. This detachment consisted of one hundred 
Europeans and three hundred Hottentots, attended by a great 
number of wagons, each drawn by eight bullocks. The 
command was given to Captain Muller, with orders to pro- 
ceed, if possible, to the wreck, and load with such articles as 
might be saved, and to endeavor to discover such of the suffer- 
ers as were still wandering about the country, or in the hands 
of the natives. 

De Lasso and Evans accompanied this expedition as 
guides ; but Hynes being still very weak, was left at Sweilen- 
dam. The party was well provided with such articles as 
were most likely to insure them a favorable reception from 
the natives, and procure the liberty of the unfortunate persons 
they might find in their Avay. They proceeded with spirit 
and a]acrit3% till the Caffres, in consequence of their antipathy 
to the colonists, interrupted the expedition. In their progress 
they found Thomas Lewis, who had been abandoned by his 
companions, as before mentioned, and William Hatterly, who 
was servant to the second mate, and had continued with that 
party till he alone survived. Thus the fate of one division 
was ascertained. 

At other places on the road they met with seven Lascars, 
and two black women, one of whom was servant to Mrs. 
Logie, and the other to Mrs. Hosea. From these women 
they learned, that soon after Hynes' party had left the cap- 
tain and the ladies, they also took separate routes ; the latter 
intending to join the Lascars, but what became of them after 
this separation was unknown. They, indeed, saw the cap- 
tain's coat on one of the natives, but whether he died or was 
killed could never be discovered. 

After the enmity of the natives prevented the progress of 
the wagons, some of the party traveled forward fifteen days 
on horseback in the prosecution of their plan, but the Caffres 
still continuing to harass them, they were obliged to retura, 
after an absence of about three months. 



GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. .: 49 

Captain Muller returned to Swellendam with the three 
Englishmen, the seven lascars, and two black women, the 
boy Price, and the two guides, De Lasso and Evans. The 
people of color were detained at Swellendam ; but the Eng- 
lish were forwarded to the Cape, w^here, after being examined 
by the governor, they were permitted to take their passage to 
Europe in a Danish ship, the captain of which promised to 
land them in England ; but, excepting Price, who was set on 
shore at WejTnouth, they were all carried to Copenhagen, 
from whence they at last found their way to England. 

Such was the termination of the adventures of these unfor- 
tunate people : but the inquiry concerning the fate of the cap- 
tain and his party was not dropped. Though it is probable 
that, before the first Dutch expedition could have reached 
them, they all paid the debt of nature, rumors had been 
spread that several of the English w^ere still in captivity 
among the natives, and these obtained such general belief, that 
M. Vaillant, whose philanthropy equalled his genius and reso- 
lution, made another attempt to discover the reputed captives; 
but he could learn nothing decisive as to their situation 
or final fate. 

The public mind, however, continued still to be agitated, and 
the interest which all nations took in the fate of the unhappy 
persons, particularly the women, some of whom, it was report- 
ed, had been seen, induced a second party of Dutch colonists, 
with the sanction of government, to make another eflbrt to 
explore the country and to reach the Ma'eck. 

These men, amply provided, set out on the 24th of August, 
1793, from KafTer Keyl's River, tovrard Cape Natal, on the 
coast of which the Grosvenor was supposed to have been 
wrecked. Of this expedition we have a journal, kept by 
Van Reenen, one of the party, and published by Capt. Riou. 
It would not be generally interesting to the reader to give the 
meagre details of distance traveled, and elephants killed ; of 
danger encountered, and rivers crossed: we shall therf "-/^ 
confine ourselves to such incidents as appear to deserve n'. 
tice, or are connected with the melancholy subject of our 
narrative. 

After proceeding an immense way, on the 8d of November 
they arrived among the Hombonaas, a nation quite different 
from the CafFres. They have a yellow complexion, and their 
long coarse hair is frizzled up in the form of a turban. Some 
of these people informed our adventurers that, subject to them, 
there was a village of bastard Christians, descended fron^ 

5 



50 LOSS OF THE 

people shipwrecked on the coast, of whom three old women 
M-ere still alive and married to a Hambonaa chief. This in- 
telligence roused their curiosity, and they were fortunate 
enough to obtain an interview with the old women in question, 
who said they were sisters, but having been shipwrecked when 
children, they could not say to what nation they originally 
belonged. The Dutch adventurers offered to take them and 
their children back on their return, at which they seemed much 
pleased. It appears probable that the reports which had been 
spread, in regard to some European women being among the 
natives, originated from this circumstance, and as the exist- 
ence of any other white people in this quarter was neither 
known nor suspected, it was naturally concluded that they 
must have belonged to the Grosvenor. 

The Dutch afterward fell in with Trout, whose name has 
been mentioned in the preceding narrative. He at first en- 
gaged to conduct them to the spot where the Grosvtnor was 
wrecked, and informed them that nothing was then to be seen, 
except some cannon, iron ballast, and lead ; adding, that all 
the unfortunate crew of that ship had perished, some by the 
hands of the natives, and the rest of hunger. 

Trout, who it is to be feared was guilty of much duplicity 
from the first, pretended that he was a freeman, and had sailed 
in an English ship from Malacca ; but finding himself likely 
to be detected, and probably apprehensive of being carried 
back to the Cape, he cautiously avoided the Dutch in the se- 
quel, and left them to find their way to the wreck in the best 
manner they were able. 

As they were proceeding to the spot, one of the party, 
named Houltshausen, unfortunately fell into a pit of burnt 
stakes, by which he was terribly wounded in the palm of one 
of his hands, which eventually produced a locked jaw, and 
terminated in his death. These pits are dug by the natives, 
and being covered over with branches of trees and grass, 
serve as snares for the elephants, which frequently fall into 
them, and are thus taken. 

Several of the party, however, proceeded on horseback to 
the wreck, and found nothing more than what Trout had de- 
scribed remaining. It was plainly perceived that fires had 
been made in the vicinity; and on a rising ground, between 
two woods, was a pit. where things had been buried and dug- 
out again. This likewise tallied with the information of Trout, 
who told them that all the articles collected from the wreck 
had been dispersed over the country, and that most of them 



GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 51 

had been carried to Rio de la Goa,* to be sold. That place 
was represented to be about four days journey from the scene 
of the catastrophe. 

The natives in the neighborhood expressed great astonish- 
ment that the Dutch had been at such infinite pains to come 
in search of the unfortunate crew, and they all promised tliat, 
in case of any similar disaster, they would protect such peo- 
ple as migth be thrown upon the coast, if they could be as- 
sured of obtaining beads, copper, and iron for their trouble, 
which was liberally promised by the Dutch. 

These intrepid adventurers, who were now 447 leagues dis- 
tant from the Cape, and 226 beyond any Christian habitation, 
finding that nothing farther was to be discovered relative to 
the wreck, or the fate of the persons who had reached the 
shore, determined to return, particularly as Houltshausen's 
illness increased. 

On their way back they called at the bastard Christian vil- 
lage, and would have taken under their protection the three 
old women, who seemed desirous of living among Christians, 
but they wished first to gather in their crops ; adding, when 
that business was accomplished, their whole race, to the num- 
ber of about four hundred, would be happy to depart from 
their present settlement. Every indulgence was promised 
them in case they should be disposed to emigrate to the Cape. 
On seeing people of the same complexion as themselves they 
appeared to be exceedingly agitated. 

On their homeward journey the Dutch shot many elephants 
and sea-cows ; but on the first of December they met with a 
terrible accident while employed in cutting up the sea-cows 
killed the preceding day. " As we were thus engaged, (says 
the journalist,) a large elephant made up to the wagons ; we 
instantly pursued and attacked him, when having received 
several shot, by which he twice fell, he crept into a very thick 
underwood. Thinking we had killed him, Tjaart Van der 
Valdt, Lodewyk Prins, and Ignatius Mulder, advanced to the 
spot, when he rushed out furiously from the thicket, and 
catching hold of Prins with his trunk, trod him to death, dri- 
ving one of his tusks through the body and throwing it up 
into the air to the height of thirty feet. 

" The others perceiving that there was no possibility of es- 
caping on horseback, dismounted, and crept into the thicket 
to hide themselves. The elephant seeing nothing in view 
but one of the horses, followed him for some time, and then 
* Delagoa River. 



52 LOSS OF THE 

turning about came back to the spot where the dead man was 
left. At this instant our whole party renewed the attack, and 
after he had received several more wounds, again escaped in- 
to the thickest part of the wood. 

" We now supposed ourselves safe ; but while we were dig- 
ging a grave for our unfortunate companion, the elephant rush- 
ed out again, and drove us all from the place. Tjaart Van 
der Valdt got another shot at him ; a joint attack being com- 
menced, he began to stagger, and falling, the Hottentots des- 
patched him as he lay on the ground." 

The rest of their journey afforded little worth notice. In 
January, 1791, they reached their respective homes, after sur- 
mounting incredible difficulties in an expedition to which they 
were prompted solely by a principle of humanity, and the de- 
sire of relieving, if any remained alive, such of our country- 
men as might be among the natives. No intelligence of this 
kind could, however, after the most diligent inquiries, be ob- 
tained. They were, indeed, informed that the ship's cook had 
been alive about two years before the period of their journey, 
but that he then caught the small-pox and died. 

We cannot conclude this mournful narrative better than with 
the sensible reflections of Captain Riou. 

" Had the party (says he) that set out in search of these 
shipwrecked people, in 1783, prosecuted theii- journey with 
the same degree of zeal and resolution that Van Reenen's 
party manifested, it is possible they might have discovered and 
relieved some who have since perished. Yet, as they could 
not have arrived at the place of the wreck in less than six 
months after the disaster happened,, there is no great proba- 
bility for supposing that, after such a length of time had eL .- 
ed, any great number of the unfortunate sufferers could be 1 3- 
maining alive. 

"But what we have most to regret is, that perhaps the 
failure of the" endeavors of the unfortunate crew to save their 
lives was owing to their own misconduct. It is too often the 
case, that disorder and confusion are the consequences of ex- 
treme distress, and that despair seizing on the unprincipled 
mind hurries it on to a subversion of all good order and disci- 
pline ; so that at the moment when the joint efforts of the 
whole are most necessary for the general good , each de- 
sponding thoughtless member acts from the impulse of the 
moment, in whatever manner his tumultuous feelings may di- 
rect ; and from an erroneous idea of self-jnterest,. or, wonder- 
ful as it may appear, from a desire o/ gratifying a rebellious 



i 



GROSVENOR INDIAMAN. 53 

and turbulent spirit at a time when it can be done with im- 
punity, is always ready to overturn every plan that may be 
proposed by his superiors and the considerate few that hap- 
pen to be of the party. 

*• Such must have been, and such we are indeed told was 
the situation of the crew of the Grosvenor subsequent to their 
shipwreck. , 

" Though it may be said to be very easy to see errors 
when their consequences are apparent, it will not surely be 
too much to assert, that when this ship's crew was once safe- 
ly on shore, with the advantage of such articles as they could 
procure from the wreck, their situation, however deplorable, 
could not be considered as hopeless. For, had a chosen body 
of ten or twenty men marched a few days to the northward, 
they must have fallen in with Rio de la Goa, where it seldom 
happens that there is not a French or Portuguese slave ship. 
But allowing that Captain Coxson Vv^as much out of his reck- 
oning, and that*he supposed himself much nearer to the Cape 
than he really was, they might then have existed on the sea- 
coast, in that climate, sheltered by huts, ti]l ready to set out, 
and by preserving order and discipline, and conducting them- 
selves properly in regard to the natives, they might have gra- 
dually proceeded in safety to the territories of the Dutch. 

" Had the crew continued under the orders of their officers, 
either of those objects might have been accomplished by men 
whose minds were not wholly resigned to despair ; or they 
might have subsisted on what provision they could pick up 
from the wreck, together with what they could purchase from 
the natives, till a boat could have been constructed and sent 
to solicit assistance from the Cape. 

" These reflections have been extended by considering the 
circumstances in which the shipwrecked people were placed ; 
fsom all which it may fairly be concluded, that 'the greater 
part might have effected a return to theii native land, had 
they been guided by any idea of the advantages of discipline 
and subordination. 

" It is to be hoped, then, that the fatal consequences attend- 
ing disorderly conduct on these calamitous occasions, will 
impress on the minds of seamen this incontrovertible truth, 
that their only hope of safety must depend upon obedience." 



toss OF THE HERCULBS* 

LOSS OF THE AMERICAN SHIP HERCULE&V 

CAPTAIN BENJAMIN STOUT* 

On, the Coast of Caffraria^ the IGlh June, 1796. 

The account of tbe fate of the AmeriGan ship Hercules^ 
(and of the adventures and sufierings of her crew,) which set 
out on her voyage from Bengal in the month of December, 
1795, involves so much interest as cannot fail to prove ex- 
tremely interesting ; nor can it be. better detailed than from 
the account given by the commander. Captain Benjamift 
Stout, whose intention it was to take in a private freight for 
Hamburgh, but not finding one that would ansAver his expec- 
tations, he chartered his ship to the British East India Com- 
pany, who were at that time busily employed in shipping rice 
for England. Intelligence having reached the settlements in 
India that a failure of corn throughout the whole of Great 
Britain was likely to produce a famine, the most active and 
laudable exertions Avere made in India to supply the markets 
at home with rice ; and he received on board upward of nine 
thousand bags,, with directions to proceed to London with 
every possible despatch. The crew, most of whom ha\ing 
been engaged in India, consisted of Americans, Danes, 
Swedes, Dutch, Portuguese, but chiefly Lascars, amounting 
ill the whole, men and boys, to about sixty-four. The neces- 
sary arrangement far the voyage being completed, they sail- 
ed from Sagar Roads on the 17th March, 1796. 

Nothing material occurred during the voyage until the 1st 
of June follovv'ing, at which time the}" reached the latitude of 
about 85 south, and 28 40 east longitude. It then began to 
blov/ a gale from the westward, which obliged them to lay to 
under their mizen stay sail for six days. During this time the 
gale continued to blow from the west, but increased progres- 
sively until the 7th, when the contention of the sea and winds 
presented a scene of horror of which perhaps the annals of 
marine history give us no example. " Although bred to the 
sea (says Captain Stout) from my ear]i(st life, yet all I had 
ever seen before, all I had ever heard of or read, gave me no 
adequate idea of those sublime effects v.'hich the violence and 
raging of the elements produce, and which, at this tremendous 
hour, seemed to threaten nature itself witli dissolution.'' The 



LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 55 

ship, raised on mountains of water, was in a moment preci- 
pitated into an abyss, where she appeared to wait until the 
coming sea raised her again into the clouds. The perpetual 
roaring of the elements echoing through the void, produced 
such an awful sensation in the minds of the most experienced 
of the seamen, that several of them appeared for some time in 
a state of stupefaction ; and those less accustomed to the dan 
gers of the sea added to this scene of misery by their shncU 
ings and exclamations. 

The terrors of the day could only be surpassed by those of 
the night. When the darkness came on, it is impossible lor 
man to describe, or human imagination to conceive, a scene 
of more transcendent and complicated horror. To fill up the 
measure of their calamities, about the hour of midnight a sud- 
den shift of wind threw them into the trough of the sea, which 
struck her aft, tore aw^ay the rudder, started the stern-post 
from the hauden ends, and shattered the whole of her stern 
frame. The pumps were immediately sounded, and in the 
course of a few minutes the water had increased to four feet. 
A gang Avas immediately ordered to the pumps, and the re- 
mainder were employed in getting up rice out of the run of 
the ship and heaving it overboard, if possible to get at the 
leak. After three or four hundred bags were thrown into the 
sea, the principal leak was discovered, and the water poured 
in with astonishing rapidity. In order, therefore, to decrease 
as much as possible the influx of water, sheets, shirts, jackets, 
bales of muslin, and every thing of the like description were 
thrust into the aperture. Had not these exertions been attended 
with some success, the ship must certainly have gone down, 
although the pumps delivered fifty tons of water an hour. 

As the next day advanced, the weather began to moderate. 
The men worked incessantly at the pumps, and every exertion 
was made to keep the ship afloat. They were at this tima 
about two hundred miles from the eastern coast of Africa. 

On the 9th, although the violence of the tempest had in a 
great measure subsided, yet the swell of the sea was tremen- 
dous. The long-boat was ordered out ; but the captain hav- 
ing reason to suspect that some of the crew would endeavor 
to make ofl' with her, he directed the second mate and three 
seamen to take possession of her ; at the same time giving 
them arms and express orders to shoot the first man who at- 
tempted to board her without his permission. They were also 
instructed to keep astern, but to stick by the ship until they 
eame to an anchor. 



56 LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 

The men having taken tlieir station in the boat, a raft was 
ordered to be made of the large spars, which was accordingly 
done. The whole when lashed together measured about 35 
feet in length, and 15 in breadth. At this time the captain 
apprehended the ship could not make the land, and being con- 
vinced, in case of her going down, that all the people could 
not be received into the long-boat, determined not to neglect 
any measure that presented even a chance of saving the 
whole. 

When the second mate was preparing to obey the orders he 
had received and take command of the long-boat, the carpen- 
ter adv-ressed the captain in a respectful manner, and earnestly 
entreated him to leave the ship. On being reprimanded for 
not attending to the pumps, the man burst into tears, and de- 
clared that the whole of the stern frame was shook and loos- 
ened in such a manner that he expected every minute she 
would go down. The miserable appearance of this man, and 
the affecting tone of voice in which he delivered his appre- 
hensions, considerably increased the terrors of the crew ; 
whereupon the captain thought it necessary to declare that he 
would perform his duty and stick to the ship until he was con- 
vinced from his own observation that all hopes of saving her 
were at an tnd. The carpenter repeated his solicitations, 
when he was ordered to his post, and assured at the same 
4ime, that unless he made every exertion to encourage the 
people in their duty at the pumps, he should be immediately 
thrown into the sea. He retired, and exerted himself after- 
ward with a manly perseverance. 

The captain was immediately addressed, on the departure 
of the carpenter, by many of the sailors, and on the same 
subject. They were so clamorous, and differed so much 
in their opinions, that he was nearly going to extremes with 
some of them. 

These circumstances are mentioned as a caution to future 
navigators, who are entrusted with a command. They too 
frequent])?- listen to the opinion of their people in time of dan- 
ger, who are generally for quitting the ship, and taking to 
boats, masts, yards and spars formed into rafts, or w^hatever 
timbers they can lash together ; indeed, as the prejudices and 
sentiments of the common sailors on these occasions are so 
various, it is not to be supposed that any thing can arise from 
such a mistaken conduct but confusion and misfortune. 

A crew, such as composed that of the Hercules, which con- 
•isted of people of various nations, require indeed from their 



LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 67 

commander a peculiar attention. It may happen, that by hu- 
moring their religious prejudices at a particular moment, an 
essential service maybe obtained ; and the following remark- 
able anecdote Avill tend to elucidate this opinion. 

At a period when the tempest raged with the utmost vio- 
lence, the captain directed most of the crew below, particu- 
larly the Lascars, to work the pumps. One of them, however, 
was perceived coming up the gang-way, with a handkerchief 
in his hand ; and on being questioned what he was about, he 
answered in a tone of voice that discovered a perfect confi- 
dence in the measure he proposed, that he was going to make 
an offering to his god. " This handkerchief," said he, "con- 
tains a certain quantity of rice, and all the rupees I am worth; 
suffer me to lash it to the mizen-top, and rely upon it, Sir, we 
shall all be saved." The captain was going to order him 
back to the pumps, but recollecting that in so doing he might 
throw both him and his countrymen into a state of despondency, 
and thereby lose the benefit of their exertions, he acquiesced. 
The Lascar thanked him, and he soon beheld the child of 
prejudice mount the tottering ladder without discovering a 
single apprehension. He lashed the handkerchief to the mi- 
zen top-mast head, fearless of all danger, and arrived in safety 
on the deck. Confident now that his god was the captain's 
friend, he w^ent below to inform his brethren that he had done 
his duty ; all the Lascars seemed transported with joy, em- 
braced their virtuous companion, and then labored at the 
pumps Avith as much alacrity and perseverance as if they had 
encountered, before, neither apprehension nor fatigue. To 
their unceasing labors was owing, in a great measure, the 
preservation of his people. 

The shift of wind which threw the ship into the trough of 
the sea and tore away the nidder, was fortunately a s<juall of 
but short duration, not continuing above a quarter of an hour. 
Had it lasted but a little longer, the ship must have been torn 
in pieces. The wind came round to its former quarter, and 
moderated greatly. 

After the long-boat had been delivered to the care of the 
second mate, and the raft completed, the captain held a con- 
suhation with the officers, and they were all decidedly of 
opinion that it was impossible to save the ship, and that they 
had no other chance to preserve their lives, than to make the 
land and run her on shore. 

The people, when informed of the issue of this consultation, 
appeared to work with renovated spirits. This disposition 



58 LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 

was kept up by being assured they would soon be within sight 
of land, and that by constantly working at the pumps the 
ship would be kept afloat until they reached the shore. 

She remained for some time unmanageable, frequently stand- 
ing with her head from the land, which all their efforts could 
not prevent; the captain got a rudder made out of the top-mast, 
and fixed in the pjace of the one they had losr ; but it was 
found of little use without the help of the long-boat, which he 
ordered therefore to be hauled athwart her stern, and this 
served, although with the greatest difficulty, to get her head 
toward the shore, the wind being variable from the eastward. 
A cable could have been got out, that might have answered 
tolerably well to steer the ship ; but the people could not be 
spared from the pumps to attend roussing in on the tacles, or 
guise, as occasion might require. 

On the evening, however, of the 15th they discovered land 
at about six leagues distant. All on board at this moment 
.expressed their joy in shouts and acclamations. The ship 
still kept nearing the shore, with five feet water in her hold. 

On the 16th in the morning, being then about two miles 
from the land, and the wind from the westward, the captain 
ordered the anchor to be let go, that a last effort might be 
made to stop the leaks, and, if possible, save the ship. But 
her stern was shattered in such a manner, that after holding 
another consultation with his officers, it was finally resolved 
to run the ship on the coast then opposite to them. Another 
gale threatened them, and no time was to be lost. 

The captain immediately ordered his second mate, who was 
in the boat, to come on board, and he then delivered into his 
custody the ship's register, and all the papers of consequence 
he had. After providing him and his three men with water 
and provisions, he ordered him into the boat again, with di- 
rections to keep in the offing ; and that after they had run the 
ship on shore, provided they got safe to land, he would search 
for some inlet into which he might run with safety. They 
desired him also to look out for signals which would be occa- 
sionally thrown out from the shore to direct his course. The 
mate faithfully promised to obey his instructions, and then 
returned to his boat. 

They were now on the coast of Caffi'aria, within a few 
leagues where the river Infanta empties itself into the sea, A 
dreadful crisis approached, and they agreed to meet it with 
becoming fortitude. The captain therefore gave directions 
to set the head sail, to have the spring well taught, in order to 



LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 59 

g-et her head toward the shore, and then to cut the cahle and 
the spring. His orders were obeyed with the greatest promp- 
titude. 

After running until within something less than half a mile 
of the shore, she stuck on a cluster of rocks. The swell at 
this moment was tremendous ; and from the ship's thumping 
so violently, it was scarcely possible for the men to hold on. 
In this situation she remained for about three or four minutes, 
when a sea took her over the rocks, and carried her about a 
cable's length nearer the shore, where she again struck, and 
kept heaving in with a dreadful surf, which every moment 
made a breach over her. 

The lashings that held the raft having given way, and the 
spars carried to a considerable distance from the ship, they 
lost all hope from that quarter. At length one of the crew, 
_who was a black, plunged into the waves, and, by exertions 
which seemed more than human, gained and seated himself 
on the raft. He scarcely remained in that situation for ten 
minutes, when the whole was turned over and the man com- 
pletely enveloped in the sea. In a few moments, however, 
they perceived him in his former seat. Again he endured a 
similar misfortune ; and a third succeeded. Still he buffeted 
the waves and gained the raft until at length, after suffering 
two hours of fatigue, which, until then, the captain could not 
possibly imagine human nature could survive, he drifted on 

The natives, who had kindled several fires, appeared in 
great numbers on the shore. They were mostly clothed in 
skins, armed with spears, and accompanied by a vast number 
of dogs. A party of them seized the man who had landed, 
and conducted him behind the sand-hills that line the coast, 
and which hid him entirely from their view. 

Twelve of the crew now launched themselv^es on different 
spars, and whatever pieces of timber they could find. They 
braved all difficulties, and at last gained the land. No sooner 
had they reached the beach than the natives came down, seiz- 
ed and conducted them behind the sand-hills. As it Vv^as im- 
possible for them who remained on board to discover what 
they were about, and observing several parties of the natives 
appear at different times on the shore, but not accompanied 
by any of the people, they conceived all those who had landed 
were massacred, and that a similar fate awaited the whole of 
them. They who had remained on board the ship were 
obliged to shelter themselves in the forecastle, as the wreck, 



60 LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 

becoming a fixed object, the sea made over her, and there 
was no other part where they could remain, even for a mo- 
ment, with any security. 

Suspense and apprehension reigned during the whole of the 
night. Some were of opinion, that to avoid being tortured by 
the savages, perhaps thrown into the fires they had perceived 
on shore, it would be more advisable to resign themselves to a 
watery element, as in that situation they would only endure a 
few struggles, and then life would be no more. Others en- 
tertained different sentiments, and were for making the shore 
in as compact a body as possible. "We shall then," said 
they, "attack the savages with stones, or whatever we can 
find." This was over-ruled as a measure impracticable ; 
there was no possibility of six men keeping together ; but if 
such a number could, by a miracle, get on shore without be- 
ing divided, the natives could destroy them in a monient with 
their spears. The whole of this miserable night was spent in 
such consultations ; and as the next sun was to light them to 
their fate, they trembled as it approached the horizon. 

As soon as morning appeared, they looked toward the 
shore; but not an individual was to be seen. Distraction 
was now visible in every countenance, and what death to 
choose, the principal consideration. At length, about the 
hour of nine, the scene changed in a moment. A delirium of 
ecstasy succeeded, which no pexcilcan portray, no being can 
conceive, but those who beheld it. All the people who had 
landed the day before were observed m.aking toward the 
shore ; and they soon perceivcd'^them beckoning and inviting 
them to land. In a few minutes ever}' spar, grating, and 
piece of timber that could be procured, were afloat, and com- 
pletely occupied ; seme with two persons, others with more, 
according to the size. "I immediately (says the captain) 
stript off my shirt, put on a short jacket, wrapt a shav: 1 round 
my waist, in the corner of which I put a gold watch, and keep- 
ing my breeches on, seized a spar, and launched into the sea. 
For nearly three quarters of an hour I preserved my hold 
and drifted toward the shore. Sometimes I was cast so 
near as to touch the rocks with my feet, then hurried away 
to a considerable distance; again I was precipitated forward, 
and in a moment afterward carried off by the returning sea. 
At length a sudden jerk, occasioned by the swell, strained both 
my arms, and I was compelled to quit the spar. At this in- 
stant, although a considerable distance from the beach, a wava 
that was proceeding rapidly toward the shore, bore me alcr.g 



LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 61 

and in a few moments cast me senseless on the sand. My 
people who were on shore observed my situation; they ran 
d6wn, and snatching me from the danger of the coming waves, 
bore me to a place of security. I was insensible at this time, 
but soon revived, as they placed me near a fire and used eve- 
ry means in their power for my recovery. The first subject 
of inquiry when my faculties returned was, of course, the fate 
of my unfortunate crew ; and I enjoyed the heartfelt pleasure 
of beholding them all around me, except them in the long- 
boat, and one man, who perished near the shore. I then ad- 
dressed myself to the natives ; but on this occasion I labored 
under the difficulty of not being understood. I knew nothing 
of their language, and for some time I endeavored to explain 
myself by signs. Fortunately there was a Hottentot present, 
who had lived with the Dutch farmers, and could speak their 
language. My third mate was a Dutchman, and these serv- 
ed as interpreters. 

" This difficulty being happily removed, I endeavored by 
every means in my power to secure the friendship of the na- 
tives. I thanked them in the name of my whole crew, and 
on the part of my nation, for the liberal and humane assist- 
ance they had afforded us in the hour of our misfortune, and 
solicited their future kindness and support. 

" This being, as I conceived, at no great distance from the 
spot where the Grosvenor was lost in 1782, I inquired of the 
natives whether any of them remembered such a catastrophe. 
Most of them answered in the affirmative, and ascending one 
of the sand-hills, pointed to the place where the Grosvenor 
suffered. 

" I then desired to know of them whether they had receiv- 
ed any certain accounts respecting the fate of Captain Cox- 
son, who commanded the Grosvenor, and who was proceed- 
ing on his way to the Cape, with several men and women 
passengers, who were saved from the Avreck. They answer- 
ed that Captain Coxson and his men were slain. One of the 
chiefs having insisted on taking two of the white ladies to his 
kraal, the captain and people re.'^isted, and not being armed, 
were immediately destroyed. The natives at the same time 
gave me to understand, that at the period v/hen the Grosvenor 
was wrecked, their nation was at war with the colonists ; and 
as the captain and his crew were whites, they could not telL 
provided they had reached the Christian farms, but they would 
assisrt the colonies in the war. This affected my situation so 
directly, that I desired to know on what terms the Caffres and 

6 



62 LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 

the colonists then stood. ' We are friends,' said they, • and 
jt will be their fault if we are not always so.' 

This answer relieved me from a very serious embarrass- 
ment; but the fate of the two unfortunate ladies gave me so 
snuch uneasiness, that 1 most earnestly requested of them to 
tell me all they knew of their situation ; whether they were 
alive or dead ; and if living, in what part of the country they 
were situated. They replied, and with apparent concern, that 
one of the ladies had died a short time after her arrival at the 
kraal ; but they understood the other was living, and had se- 
veral children by the chief. ' Where she now is,' said they, 
• we know not.' 

" After I had received every possible information on this 
melancholy subject, we employed ourselves principally, dur- 
ing the remainder of the day, in assisting the natives to save 
whatever came on shore from the wreck. When they got a 
piece of timber, they placed it immediately, on the fire, as the 
readiest method of procuring the iron, which they sought af- 
ter with the most persevering diligence." 

When night came on, the natives retired, and they left us 
to sleep under the sand-hills, without covering, and without 
food. The weather was boisterous, and a strong wind from 
the westward, and the cold severe ; a consultation was held 
in what manner they should dispose of themselves until the 
morning, and they at length resolved that some of them should 
keep watch during the night, and the rest place themselves 
near the fire, and, if possible, obtain a little rest. 

The night passed without any of the unfortunate sufferers 
enjoying a moment of repose. Their bodies on one side were 
heated by the fire, but the cold chilled the other in such a 
manner as to render the pain hardly supportable. The sand 
driven by the wind in prodigious quantities, filled their eyes, 
ears, and mouths, as they lay under the banks, and kept them 
in perpetual motion. They likewise entertained apprehen- 
sions respecting the natives. 

At length day appeared, and the Caffres returned in great 
numbers. The chief, knowing they were in want of food, 
brought a bullock, which they immediately slaughtered by 
knocking the animal on the head with clubs and penetrating 
its sides with their spears. It was skinned almost in a mo- 
ment, and they cut it up in lumps, which they placed On the 
fire to singe, rather than to roast, and then devoured their re- 
spective shares with the highest satisfaction. The beast, as it 
was given to the famished crew, it might be supposed, would 



LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 63 

be left for their own disposal ; but the Caffres were hungry, 
and they knew nothing of European etiquette. It is true, they 
presented the bullock to them as a donation, but they saw no 
reason why they should not dispose of the greater part of it. 

On cutting up the animal, it was observed they paid more 
than ordinary attention to the paunch. Several of the Caffres 
laid violent hands on it, and after giving it a shake for the 
purpose of emptying the contents, they tore the greater part 
in slits with their teeth, and swallowed the whole as it came 
warm from the beast. 

Their meal, such as it was, being finished, part of the crew 
proceeded to the shore, and the long-boat was observed at a 
considerable distance. The ship was dividing very fast, and 
the gale increasing ; many things were therefore cast on shore, 
which the Caffres were indefatigable in procuring. A cask, 
however, was thrown on the beach, which considerably ex- 
cited the captain's anxiety : it contained sixty gallons of rum, 
a quantity sufficient to have intoxicated the whole of the na- 
tives, although they amounted to at least three hundred. The 
predilection for such liquor is well known, and the conse- 
quences of their intoxication was particularly dreaded by the 
captain. The only way left was to steal to the spot where 
the cask lay, and stave in the head without being perceived 
by them. This was happily accomplished, and they after- 
ward stripped the vessel of the iron hoops, without discover- 
ing what had been done, or what it formerly contained. 

In the general search on the shore, one of the Caffres had 
picked up the ship's compass. Not knowing what it was, yet 
pleased with its formation, he delivered it to the chief, who im- 
mediately took it to pieces ; and after contemplating the va- 
rious parts, took the copper ring in which it hung and sus- 
pended it from his neck. He appeared highly pleased with 
the ornament ; and this circumstance induced the captain to 
present him with one still more glittering, and of course, in 
his estimation, more valuable ; recollecting that he had in his 
possession a pair of paste knee-buckles, he presented them to 
the chief, and hung one upon each of his ears. 

The moment this was done the chief stalked about with an 
air of uncommon dignity. His people seemed to pay him 
greater reverence than before, and they were employed for 
some time in gazing at the brilliancy of the ornaments, and 
contemplating the august deportment of their chief magis- 
trate. 

Toward evening the captain again addressed the chief on 



64 



LOSS OF THE HERCULBS. 



the subject of their departure. He requested he would send 
a guide with them through the deserts to the first Christian 
settlement, and that nothing should be wanting on his part to 
recompense his kindness. The Caffre paused for a moment, 
and then very coolly replied, that he would gratify the cap- 
tain's wishes ; and being desired to name the time when he 
wouJd suffer them to depart, he gravely answered, " When I 
consider that matter you shall be made acquainted with my 
determination." These answers alarmed the unfortunate suf- 
ferers. The countenance of the savage appeared to discover 
some hostile measure that was lurking in his mind ; and yet 
his former conduct was so liberal and humane, ihat they had 
no just grounds for suspecting his integrity. The natives, 
however, were perceived consulting together in parties, and 
from their gestures nothing favorable could be perceived. 
When the day was drawing to a close, the crew was left to 
rest under the sand-hills, as on the former night. 

The fire was recruited with some timber from the wreck, 
and sentinels placed as before. The wind blowing hard from 
the same quarter, they were again tormented with clouds of 
sand and a chilling atmosphere. June being one of the win- 
ter months, they had to encounter the severities of the season. 
It was impossible to shift their quarters, as they could not pro- 
cure timber to light new fires, and the CafTres might be dis- 
pleased at their not remaining in their former situation. The 
night passed in consultations and gloomy predictions. The 
captain told his people not to do any thing that might have 
the least tendency to displease the natives ; to give them every 
thing they asked for, as the inhabitants of these deserts were 
only to be dreaded when provoked. But at the same time, 
if, contrary to their expectation, they make an attack, or en- 
deavor to detain them after a certain time, then he hoped they 
would firmly unite, and either force their way or perish in 
the conflict. 

When the sun made its appearance, they mounted the most 
elevated of the sand-hills to look out for the long-boat ; but 
she was not to be discovered in any direction. In a short 
time they perceived the CafTres advancing. Most of them 
had assagays in their hands ; others furnished with clubs ; 
some were decorated with ostrich feathers, and their chief 
wearing a leopard skin, with the captain's knee-buckles sus- 
pended as before. They saluted the crew in a very friendly 
manner, and were accompanied by them to the beach. The 
wind had increased during the night, and several parts of the 



LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 65 

ship came on shore. One of the people had picked up a hand- 
saw, and as he perceived the CafTres were indefatigable in 
procuring iron, he hid it in the sand. This was a valuahle 
acquisition, and became of infinite service to them in the 
course of their proceedings. 

Having secured all they could obtain from the wreck, the 
captain requested the chief to order some of his people to dis- 
play their skill in the use of the assagays. This is a spear 
of about four feet six inches in length, made of an elastic 
wood, and pointed with iron, which the natives contrive to 
poison so effectually, that if it wounds either man or besist, 
death is the inevitable consequence. 

The captain's wishes were immediately gratified. The 
Caffres first placed a block of wood on the ground, and then 
retired about seventy yards from the spot where it lay. -The 
chief then said, they would now behold their manner of fight- 
ing when engaged in battle. These compliances, as they 
seemed to remove former suspicions, gave great satisfaction 
to the sufferers. A party of about thirty began their manoeu- 
vering. They first ran to a considerable distance ; then fell, 
as if motionless, on the ground ; in a moment they started up, 
divided, joined again, and ran in a compact body to the spot 
from whence they originally set out. After halting for about 
a minute, they let fly a shower of assagays at the mark, and 
with a precision that was truly astonishing. 

Not a word more passed this day about the departure of 
the crew. The natives retired as usual on the approach of 
night. All were employed to gather wood ; and after pro- 
curing a sufficient quantity, they stretched themselves on the 
ground, and in spite of wind, sand, and cold, slept until 
morning. 

When day appeared all were again employed in looking 
out for the long-boat ; but she was not to be seen, nor did 
they ever hear of her again. 

The Caffres did not make their appearance this day until 
the sun had proceeded two hours in his course. As little now 
was to be procured from the wreck, Captain Stout begged the 
chief to appoint a guide for himself and crew, as he proposed 
taking his departure on the next day. " I shall furnish you 
with two," said the chief. These joyful tidings were deli- 
vered with so much frankness, that the captain was relieved 
at once from all apprehension and suspicion. 

Desirous of having the Hottentot who served as interpreter 
to accompany them through the desert, the chief was given 

6* 



66 toss OF TrfE HERCTJXES. 

to understand how much the services of this man would not 
only contribute to their pleasure, but also to their safety. The 
honest savage, however, had anticipated their wishes ; he had 
previously mentioned it to the Hottentot, who had consented 
to proceed to the first Christian farm. Another of the tribe, 
who was better acquainted with the country, had likewise 
agreed to be of the party, and this information, which was 
communicated to the crew, diffused a general joy and satis- 
faction. 

After assuring the chief, and the Caffres in general, of our 
unalterable friendship, and that the guides should be reward- 
ed to the extent of their wishes, " I told him," says the cap- 
tain, " we had endured great distress for want of water, and 
begged to know where we could procure some." " I will 
conduct you," said he, "to a spring of excellent water; it is 
not far from this place ; and, if you think proper,, we will pro- 
ceed directly to the spot." No sooner was the proposal 
made than we set out ; the Caffres singing and dancing as 
they proceeded, and my people, although not without suspi- 
cion, in tolerable spirits." 

After traveling westward about four miles through a de- 
lightful country, they came at last to a wood, in the bosom of 
which was discovered a hollow. The Caffres descended 
first, and when they all arrived at the bottom, the chief pointed 
to the brook. They drank of the water and found it deli- 
cious. After allaymg their thirst,, they looked about, and 
from the dismal appearance of the place, were again in a 
state of apprehension; being moslly of opinion that nothing 
less was intended by the Caffres than to massacre the whole 
party in this sequestered place ; that they v/ere decoyed here 
for the purpose ; and that every man should prepare to de- 
fend his life. The captain, however, endeavored to quiet 
their apprehensions, and at last succeeded. 

The Caffres having invited the party to remain on this spot 
during the night, they began to prepare wood for the fires. 
All hands went to work, and by the assistance of a hand-saw, 
they procured some dry trees and underwood, that afforded a 
very comfortable fire. One of the Hottentots, who was so 
rich as to possess a tinder-box, struck a light ; and this accom- 
modation being not only highly useful but unexpected, gave 
new spirit to the whole party. 

The natives, as the night came on, did not retire as usual 
to their kraal. This gave a fresh alarm, which did not ap- 
pear to be without some cause ; situated as the party then 



LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 67 

were, they were oblig-ed to abide the event, and therefore pre- 
pared for the worst that could happen. The watch was set 
as formerly ; but the Caffres huddling together, were soon 
lost in sleep. The place, however dismal in its appearance, 
afforded a tolerable shelter for the night ; clouds of sand were 
no longer troublesome, and the severities of the wind and 
cold were mitigated by the friendly shade afibrded by the 
trees. 

" We were roused," says the captain, "by the savages, as 
the sun appeared, and we departed from this supposed Golgo- 
tha in tolerable spirits. We had, however, consumed the last 
pound of our bullock before we left the sand-hills, and our 
party began to dread an approaching famine. I mentioned 
the distress of my people to the chief, and he promised to re- 
lieve us. We had journeyed but a few miles, when the Caf- 
fres told us we must remain where we were that night. We 
accordingly set to work to procure fire-wood, and had scarce- 
ly completed this necessary business, when the chief present- 
ed us with aaother bullock. It was soon dispatched, skinned, 
cut into pieces of about four pounds each, and we then pro- 
ceeded to dress them as provisions for our journey. This 
was a business of so much importance, that most of the day 
was spent in accomplishing it. 

" The night passed with less apprehension than before, and 
when the morning came we prepared for our departure. 

" The moment now arrived when the real intentions of the 
Caffres were to be developed. The natives came about us 
and assisted in dividing the provisions. Each man was to 
carry his own stock, which amounted to about three or four 
pounds of beef; this, with some biscuit which a few of my 
people had contrived to preserve from the wreck, was to 
serve us until we reached a Christian settlement. So far 
from any appearance of hostility, the natives seemed to view 
our departure with regret. I took the chief by the hand, and 
thanked him for his great and friendly attentions to me and 
my unfortunate crew; assuring him at the same time that, if 
I survived the journey, it would ever be my first considera- 
tion to render him and his people some essential service. He 
thanked me, and then requested I Avould tell the colonists our 
ship was lost at sea, and so distant from the land that no part 
of her could possibly reach the shore. He also desired me 
to place the utmost confidence in my guides, as they would 
certainly direct me for the best. After my people and the na- 
tives had exchanged some mutual civilities, we parted, and 
gave one another a last and affectionate adieu." 



68 LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 

They did not take their departure on the morning of the 
23d until the sun was well up. The guides were intelligent, 
and gave them to understand that they must on no account 
travel early, as the wild beasts constantly rose with the sun, 
and then ranged the deserts in quest of their prey. As they 
were all unarmed, a single lion, leopard, or panther, could 
have destroyed most of them. It became, therefore, highly 
necessary they should not stir until these animals had satis- 
fied their hunger, and were retired for the day. 

Notwithstanding this cautious and necessary advice, and 
which was given with a laudable earnestness for their preser- 
vation, still the people were so desirous of getting on that 
thej^ grew uneasy ; but the guides could not be induced to 
quit the fires until about nine o'clock, at which time they all 
proceeded, and in good spirits. 

Not more than three or four of the party were at this mo- 
ment in possession of shoes. They had many hundred miles 
to travel through unknown countries, to ascend mountains 
of stupendous elevation, penetrate woods, traverse deserts, 
and ford rivers ; and yet they were to combat all these diffi- 
culties bare-footed, not having saved above four pair of shoes, 
and even these but in sad condition. 

" As my feet were naked," says the captain, " like most of 
my people, one of them offered me an old pair of boots which 
he then wore ; but I refused them. My habiliments were a 
short jacket, a table-cloth, which I found on the shore, wrapt 
round my loins ; a shawl over it ; four shirts, which I wore 
at the same time ; a pair of trowsers and a hat. We bore 
to the westward on our setting out, for the purpose of obtain- 
ing fresh water in the course of our journey. Our guides 
observed, that near the coast the water was generally brack- 
ish ; we therefore struck into the interior, and were not en- 
tirely disappointed in our expectations." 

They now traveled tthrough a country beautifully varie- 
gated with hills, dales, extensive plains finely watered, but 
less wooded than the former. The grass appeared of an ex- 
traordinary height ; but in the course they pursued, not a hu- 
man foot step could be traced ; no cattle nor sign of cultiva- 
tion could be observed. They were not interrupted by any 
beast of prey, although they constantly perceived their dung. 
At length, after traveling about thirty-five miles, they began 
to feel the want of water. 

Having searched for this indispensable aliment with the 
Utmost anxiety and attention, they were so fortunate as to 



toss OF THE HERCULES. 69 

discover, before sun-set, a brook that ran near the corner of 
a wood ; and here they determined to rest for the night. They 
began, therefore, to prepare a suiRcient quantity of fuel. The 
wood was chiefly composed of trees that partook in some de- 
gree of the nature of thorn ; they cut several, and arranged 
their fires. One of the Caffres struck a light, and the whole, 
in a minute, was in a blaze. The tinder which he provided 
was of a particular description ; it consisted of a pithy sub- 
stance extracted from a reed, and so tenacious of fire, that a 
single spark from the steel caught it in a moment. The 
weather being cold, they resolved to sleep close to one ano- 
ther ; but the guides told them the place they had fixed upon 
to rest during the night was known to be infested with leo- 
pards, and that, if they scented the party, nothing could pre- 
vent them from destroying some of them. This intelligence 
induced them to enlarge their fires, and they began to consult 
upon other measures that were likely to contribute also to 
their preservation. But such is the powerful influence of 
Morpheus over the harassed soul, that their conversation had 
scarcely commenced on this important subject, when they 
were all relieved from any sense of danger by gently falling 
into a sound sleep, in which they remained in perfect security 
until morning. 

No sooner had the sun peeped above the horizon, than they 
were all roused by the tremendous roaring of lions. Never 
were men in a situation more truly alarming. Had they dis- 
covered them during the night, they must have been torn to 
pieces when sleeping, as not an individual could attend the 
watch, or keep awake even for an hour. They therefore con- 
gratulated one another on finding they had all escaped, and 
set out about seven in the morning in company with their 
guides. They soon arrived at the bank of a small river, which 
being perfectly dry, they crossed without difficulty. Shortly 
after they came to another, which they likewise passed in a 
few minutes. They reached at length some high lands, from 
the tops of which they discovered several beautiful vales cloth- 
ed with long dry grass and clusters of trees ; in other places, 
forests of considerable extent, and skirting mountains of dif- 
ferent elevations. In the course of the day they were in great 
distress for want of water, and lost much time in the pur- 
suit of it. Indeed they almost despaired of finding any, as the 
earth appeared so dry as to exhaust all the brooks they had 
visited. Luckily, however, about sunset they discovered a 
«nall rivulet that ran near the forest j and although the water 



70 LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 

was not good, yet it still relieved them from a dreadful situ- 
ation. 

Having traveled this day about thirty miles, they deter- 
mined to remain where they were during the night. All hands, 
therefore, went immediately to work, for the purpose of get- 
ting fuel. They had seen no wild animals in the course of 
the day, but frequently observed the dung of the elephant and 
the rhinoceros. 

As their situation for the night was as dangerous and de- 
plorable as on the preceding one, they determined to enlarge 
their fires, as the only means of safety they had left. This 
was accordingly done, and they had the pleasure to find, 
when the day appeared, not an individual was missing of the 
whole party. 

They proceeded on their journey shortly after sunrise ; and 
as they were to travel through a wood of considerable extent, 
the guides told them to be upon their guard, as they would 
certainly be intermpted by wild animals, which resorted to 
that place in prodigious numbers. They determined, notwith- 
standing, to brave all dangers, and accordingly proceeded. 
They indeed escaped the lions, the panthers, the rhinoceros, 
the elephant, &c. but, unfortunately, about noon, came up with 
a horde of Caffres, that were distinguished by their own 
countrymen as a bad tribe. They spoke at first to some Caf- 
fre women, who behaved kindly, and gave them one or two 
baskets of milk. These baskets are made of twigs, wove so 
closely together as to hold water. 

Having proceeded but a short way, after receiving this in- 
stance of female liberality, they were stopt by twelve Caffre 
men, armed with spears and clothed in leopard skins. Their 
guides, alarmed at the appearance of these savages, flew to 
the banks of the Great Fish river, which at that time was not 
more than two hundred yards from the place where they 
stood. They repeatedly called on them to return, but in vain ; 
they immediately crossed the bed of the river, which was dry, 
and having reached the opposite shore, ascended an adjoining 
mountain with the utmost precipitation. The savages bran- 
dished their spears, and appeared by their gestures to menace 
the destruction of the people. They could not understand them, 
but supposed they demanded from them whatever articles they 
possessed ; and as these principally consisted of the little stock 
of provisions they had left, and their clothes, they determined 
not to part with either. 

One of the captain's people had a knife, which was slung 



LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 71 

over his shoulder. A Caffre perceiving it, made a snatch at 
the handle ; but the owner resisting it, he lost his hold. This 
550 enraged the savage, that he lifted up his assagay with an 
apparent intention of dispatching the object of his resentment. 
At the moment he stood in this attitude, a more finished pic- 
ture of horror, or what may be conceived of the infernals, was 
perhaps never seen before. The savage wore a leopard's 
skin ; his black countenance bedaubed with red ochre ; his 
eyes, inflamed with rage, appeared as if starting from their 
sockets; his mouth expanded, and his teeth gnashing and 
grinning with all the fury of an exasperated demon. He was, 
however, diverted from his purpose, and dropped the assagay. 

The crew instantly proceeded to the river, and crossed it 
in pursuit of their guides, who were standing on the summit 
of the mountain. When they came up, the guides expressed 
the utmost satisfaction at their escape. They gave them a ter- 
rible description of the people they had just left, and assured 
them, if the remainder of their horde had been hunting at the 
time they got to the Fish River, not a man of them would 
have survived. They also declared that they were the most 
abominable horde throughout the whole of Caffraria. 

Their conversation lasted but a few minutes, when they re- 
solved to descend the mountain and pursue their journey. 
Scarcely had they put themselves in motion, when a scene of 
the most extensive and luxuriant beauties burst in a moment 
on their view. The danger they had just escaped engaged 
their attention so entirely, when they gained the summit, that 
they did not immediately perceive the world of beauties that 
now lay spread before them. All stood for some time in a 
state of rapture and amazement. The country was mostly a 
level, yet pleasingly diversified with gentle elevations, on the 
tops of which they could perceive clumps of the mimosa tree, 
and the sides clothci with shrubs of various denominations. 
A thousand rivulets seemed to meander through this second 
Eden ; frequently skirting or appearing to encircle a planta- 
tion of wood ; then suddenly taking a difierent direction, glided 
through a plain of considerable extent, until it came to a gentle 
declivity ; here it formed a natural cascade, and then, follow- 
ing its course, proceeded in an endless variety throughout 
the whole of the country. 

As they stood gazing at this sylvan scene, they perceived 
innumerable herds of animals, particularly of the species of 
the gazelle, scouring over the plains ; some darting through 
the woods, others feeding or drinking at the rivulets. As iar 



72 LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 

as the eye traveled in pursuit of new beauties, it was most am- 
ply gratified, until at length the whole gradually faded on the 
view, and became lost on the horizon. They were so wrapt 
in ecstasy on this landscape, that they forgot their danger, 
and remained too long on the mountain. They at length de- 
scended, and proceeded on their journey. 

Before the day closed they fixed on a place where they 
were to remain until the morning. It was near a wood, most- 
ly composed of that kind of thorn already mentioned. Seve- 
ral of these they immediately cut, not only for the purpose of 
fuel, but to form a barricade or defence against the wild ani- 
mals during the night. 

After completing their fortification, lighting the fires, and 
supping in the best manner possible, they lay down to rest; 
but their sleep was constantly disturbed during the night by 
a herd of elephants brushing through the wood, passing and 
returning almost every moment. Had not the fence been 
erected the preceding evening, they would, in all probability, 
have been trampled to death by these monstrous animals. 
They had the good fortune however to escape : and about 
seven the next morning proceeded on their journey in com- 
pany with the guides. 

They traveled this day through a delightful country. The 
land in some places seemed to be composed of a red and 
yellow clay, and the valleys appeared covered with a very 
thick and long grass, but not a sign of agriculture was to be 
observed. In the course of the day they perceived a few de- 
serted huts, one of which they entered, but paid severely for 
their curiosity, as those who ventured in were in a moment 
entirely covered with fleas. 

Water was found sometimes, but it w^as brackish, although 
they were at least fifty miles from the sea. I'hey kept at this 
distance during the most of the journey. 

They brougiit up for the night, after traveling about thirty- 
five miles, at the skirt of a small forest, and provided fuel, 
with a temporary defience, as before. The provisions being 
nearly exliausted they were obliged to eat sparingly, although 
most of them were ravenously hungry. 

About seven in the morning they again set out ; but many 
of the people dropt astern in the course of the day, being al- 
most worn out with fatigue. In this situation it was thought 
advisable for such of the party as could travel, to get forward 
and provide a place where wood and water could be had. 
The captain was of this company ; and that all those who 



LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 73 

remained behind might find their way, he ordered the Caffire 
guides to set fire to the long grass, which served during the 
night as a point of direction. He was likewise in expectation 
of their coming up before morning, but was sadly disappoint- 
ed. They remained stationary until the sun appeared, and 
then went on. 

Not one of the people left behind appeared this morning ; 
but the guides were of opinion they would reach a Christian 
settlement in the course of the day, where assistance would 
certainly be had. This intelligence gave them new spirits ; 
and they traveled with an unusual alertness, until they came 
to a farm-house. Here relief was expected, but none was to 
be found : the whole place had been deserted for some time ; 
they were obliged, therefore, to sleep again in the air, and 
leave their absent and miserable companions to all the horrors 
of the desert. 

This was not a night of sleep, but lamentation. They sat 
round the fire, and spoke of nothing but their absent mess- 
mates, and their unfortunate situation. They were left de- 
fenceless, without food, hardly able to stand erect, and in a 
country where the ferocious animals were the most nume- 
rous. They were likewise every hour in danger of an attack 
from the Boshismen, who swarm in these parts, and destroy 
the unhappy objects of their vengeance by arrows that are 
poisoned. The sensibility of the people on this melancholy 
occasion displayed the genuine character of a sailor. Men 
who could brave all the dangers of the tempest, and face 
death without a trembling nerve, even in the cannon's mouth, 
could not, however, speak of their distressed and absent 
brethren without a tear. Their own misfortunes were forgot- 
ten, and their only consideration, during the night, was their 
unhappy mess-mates, whom they never expected to behold 
again. 

They remained here for napre than an hour after the rising 
of the sun. Out of sixty that composed the party when they 
departed from the beach, thirty-six were so maimed and 
vs'orn down by fatigue as to be unable to travel ; these re- 
mained ia the desert, if not altogether destroyed, and had no 
hope of preservation but by the exertions of the party who 
were able to proceed. The guides were now certain that a 
Christian habitation was at hand. The last we saw had been 
destroyed by the CafiVes during the war with the colonists. 
It was therefore determined to proceed to a place where re- 
lief could be obtained, with every possible despatch. My peo- 

7 



74 LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 

pie proceeded with redoubled energy ; the salvation of their 
companions was the incentive, and that consideration banished 
every idea of danger or fatigue. 

They traveled without a single halt for about three hours, 
when one of the guides, who was advanced, roared out in a 
transport of joy, " I see a Hottentot attending a flock of sheep/' 
It was the voice of a seraph proceeding from a Caflfre. They 
all ran to the place where he stood, and at a considerable dis- 
tance observed a man attending a flock of at least four thou- 
sand. They moved in a body toward the shepherd, who 
seemed at first to be alarmed; but perceiving they were most 
whites, and unarmed, he stopt until they came up. The cap- 
tain requested of him to direct them the nearest way to the 
first settlement, which he did, and at the same time informed 
us the proprietor was a good man ; the distance, he said, was 
about three miles. The pleasure diffused throughout the par- 
ty, on receiving this information, it is impossible to describe. 
The captain embraced this opportunity and went on ; a gene- 
ral joy succeeded, and who should be foremost, the principal 
consideration. 

At length — ecstatic reflection! — they came within sight of a 
Christian farm. " Come on, my lads," said the captain, " we 
are safely moor'd at last; and our people in the deserts will 
be soon relieved." Some tottered as they stood, overcome by 
joy, and could not move ; others appeared as in a trance, until 
at length about ten followed him, and they entered the house 
of Jan Dupliesies. 

Fortunately this was a settler of the best order, about sixty 
years old, born in Holland, but had resided in Africa for 
many years ; humane, generous, and possessing a heart that 
appeared to be the constant mansion of a virtuous sympathy. 
His cottage was formed of clay, thatched with a kind of reed, 
and furnished with a few stools, a table, and some kitchen 
utensils. His family consisted of five or six sons, their wives 
and children, together with a daughter, making together about 
twenty people. His stock, however, was considerable, not less 
than twelve thousand sheep, and one thousand oxen. 

After the alarm which their first appearance occasioned 
had subsided, the captain told the story of their melancholy 
disaster, and implored his assistance for the relief of the un- 
fortunate people who were left behind. This good man could 
not listen to the relation without discovering by his counte- 
nance the tenderness of his nature. His face, which was 
naturally pallid, became, at certain intervals, of a crimson 



LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 75 

hue. These emotions appeared as the effervescence of sensi* 
bility, and to exhibit in glowing colors the complexion of 
virtue. 

As no time, he said, should be lost in preparing for the re- 
lief of the unfortunate people, he immediately directed two of 
his sons to harness eight oxen to a wagon. His orders were 
obeyed with a cheerfulness that evinced an hereditary good- 
ness, and that it had descended, unimpaired, from the sire to 
his children. They were directed to travel all night ; and 
the guides described the spot so minutely as to avoid all pos- 
sibility of a mistake. The wagon was soon out of sight, and 
they all sat down to partake of a sheep, which our liberal 
host had ordered to be killed for their entertainment. 

When the meal was over, the worthy colonist began to in- 
terrogate them respecting their journey through Caffraria. 
He could not possibly conceive, he said, how the Tambochis 
could be induced to suffer their departure. They were such 
a horrid race, that nothing was so gratifying to their nature 
as the shedding of human blood. The Boshismen, he also ob- 
served, were so numerous, and so perpetually on the look-out,/ 
that he was amazed at their traveling with any degree of se- 
curity ; but when he considered that they came through a part 
of Caffraria so infested with carnivorous animals that people 
could never travel safely but in parties, and well armed, he 
declared their being then in his house appeared to him a kind 
of miracle. 

The captain took this opportunity of giving our worthy 
host a proper idea of the Tambochis. His mind had been 
poisoned by some of his depredating neighbors, and never 
going on such parties himself, had entertained these prejudices 
without having an opportunity of knowing the contrary. He 
appeared much pleased at the conduct of the Tambochis 
during our abode in their country, and declared this circum- 
stance alone would relieve him from many hours of uneasiness. 

His sequestered mansion was nearly surrounded by trees, 
on which were hung to dry, the skins of lions, tigers, pan- 
thers, and other destructive animals, killed in the vicinity of 
his own habitation. The carcasses of two enormous creatures 
were observed lying near the door, which had the appearance 
of being recently destroyed. They were two rhinoceroses 
that the farmer's sons had killed but the day before, on their 
own land. This gave rise to a narrative respecting these 
animals, which the good man related with great circumspec- 
tion, and which appeared very extraordinary. 



76 LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 

" These creatures (said the farmer) are more savage, and 
infinitely more to be dreaded than any other animal of the 
deserts. Even the lion, when he perceives a rhinoceros, will 
fly from him in an instant. I had a proof of this (said he) 
about two years ago. As I was traversing my lands in the 
morning, I perceived a lion entering a thicket, about the dis- 
tance of half a mile from the place where I stood. In a few 
minutes after I observed a second, then a third, and a fourth 
came; they seemed to follow one another at their leisure, and 
in less than an hour I counted nine that entered the same 
wood. Never having seen so many of the same species to- 
gether, I was desirous to know the event of their meeting, 
and I concealed myself for the purpose. After waiting for 
rather more than an hour in my lurking-place, without either, 
seeing any of them or hearing any noise from the quarter 
where they lay, I began to despair of having my curiosity in 
the least gratified. At length I perceived a rhinoceros of 
uncommon magnitude approach the wood. He stood motion- 
less for about five minutes when he arrived at a small dis- 
tance from the thicket, then tossed up his nose, and at last 
scented the animals that lay concealed. In an instant I saw 
him dart into the wood, and in the space of about five minutes 
afterward I observed all the lions scamper away in different 
directions, and apparently in the greatest consternation. The 
rhinoceros beat about the wood in pursuit of his enemies for 
a considerable time, but not finding any, he broke covert at 
last and appeared on the plain. He then looked around him, 
enraged at his disappointment, began tearing up the earth, 
and discovered every sign of madness and desperation. I re- 
mained quietly in my retreat until the animal disappeared, and 
then returned to my house." 

The travelers slept that night on sacks, which their host 
had arranged for their accommodation. At breakfast on the 
succeeding morning, their benefactor entertained them with 
some very interesting observations respecting the country 
where he resided. He particularly stated the hardships which 
the colonists endured from the restrictive orders and perse- 
cuting conduct of the government at the Cape. " I have lead 
ore (said he) on my own farm, so near the surface that we can 
scrape it up with our hands, and yet we dare not touch it. If 
we were known to melt and use a single pound of it, we 
should be transported for life to Batavia." 

Before they had finished their meal, their benefactor des 
patched messengers to his neigboring friends, desiring their 



LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 77 

assistance to get the crew to the Cape. Several of them came 
and behaved with the greatest tenderness and liberality. They 
went so far as to say, that such as were desirous of remain- 
ing in the country until they had perfectly recovered should 
be accommodated at their houses ; and as they traveled once 
in every year to the Cape, they would take the first opportu- 
nity of conveying them thither. The captain thanked them 
for their kindness, but declined accepting their proposal, as 
his intention was to make the Cape with every possible ex- 
pedition. 

This conversation was interrupted by a Hottentot servant, 
who ran into the house and declared the " wagon was in 
sight." All flew to meet it, and the captain had the heartfelt 
consolation of perceiving twenty-three of his unfortunate peo- 
ple, chiefly Lascars, lying down in the machine. On their 
arrival the two sons of Dupliesies said they found them near 
a Vv'ood perfectly resigned to their fate, having given up all 
hopes of relief. The preceding thirteen of their companions 
had separated from them, but where they had strayed to not 
one of them could even guess at. These poor fellows, after 
enduring for a long time the most unexampled miseries, all 
arrived in safety at the Cape. 

They were now forty-seven in number, and as they were to 
proceed in wagons, such as were afflicted with sore feet, or 
weak through hunger and fatigue, would not again be sepa- 
rated from their companions 

Their benevolent host now provided them with a wagon 
and two sets of oxen, each set containing eight. They were 
occasionally to relieve each other on the way, and two or three 
Hottentot servants were appointed as drivers and to take charge 
of the relaying cattle. One of the farmer's .sons, completely 
armed, was likewise directed to attend them, and the wagon 
was stored with provisions and water sufficient for them until 
they should arrive at the next settlement. 

They took their departure from the hospitable mansion of 
the benevolent Dupliesies on the morning of the 2d of July. 
The guard was perpetually on the watch lest the Boshismen 
or the wild animals might dart upon them unperceived. About 
eight o'clock in the evening, however, they reached the se- 
cond farm in perfect sc<iurity. The distance traveled was 
about thirty-five miles this day, and all the people in good 
spirits. 

The owner, whose name was Cornelius Englebrock, they 
found also a benevolent character. His cottage was poor in- 
7* 



yg LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 

deed, tut all that he could afford he gave with cheerfulness 
His neighbor's letter was produced, which he read with great 
attention, and then said, " My friend is a good man, and I al- 
ways valued him ; but you wanted no other recommendation 
to my poor services than your misfortunes." 

They remained here during the night, after partaking of a 
frugal repast which their host had provided, and which was 
given with many innocent apologies for its scantiness. 

Before their departure on the ensuing morning the farmer 
generously presented them with nine sheep. The poor man 
lamented that he could not let them have a morsel of bread — 
" We live (said he) the year round chiefly on mutton and 
game, but seldom enjoy the luxury of a loaf" He insisted 
however on the captain's taking the sheep, which he accept- 
ed with many thanks, and then departed on their journey. 

During the four or five succeeding days they traveled on 
from house to house, generally at fifteen or sixteen miles dis- 
tance from each other, and were received at all of them with 
a disinterested hospitality. These occurrences are related 
with a scrupulous attention to fidelity, because the colonists, 
without distinction, have been frequently represented as a fero- 
cious banditti scarcely to be kept within the pale of authoritj^. 

During several days travelmg they could get but little 
bread, and not much water. The countries Avere alternately 
hill and dale, and often afforded the most romantic prospects. 
They frequently perceived vast quantities of wolves, and such 
droves of that species of deer which the farmers call spring- 
buck that one flock alone could not contain less than from 
twelve to fourteen thousand. Indeed many of the settlers 
said they had seen double that number at one time, and fre- 
quently killed three at a single shot. Our travelers likewise 
saw vast quantities of guinea-fowl, which after a shower of 
rain are easily caught by the farmers' dogs. 

The zebra and wild ass is common in these advanced co- 
lonies, and many of them were seen. Ostriches were like- 
wise very numerous. They had such plenty of venison at 
the houses where they stopped that their stock of nine sheep 
furnished by honest Englebrock was diminished but three in 
the course of six days. 

From the 8th to the 1 6th of July their journey was not inter- 
rupted by any disagreeable occurrence. The countries through 
which they passed displayed at every mile a new change of 
beauties. The mountains were in many places of stupendous 
height, and the valleys, decorated with wood, were astonish- 



LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 79 

mgly fertile in vegetable productions. One of the most ex- 
tensive of these valleys took them no less than three days 
and a half in passing. It is called by the settlers Long Cluff,* 
and affords, perhaps, as many romantic scenes as can be 
found in any spot of the same extent on the face of the earth. 

The hills for seventy or eighty miles run parallel to each 
other. The lands between are wonderfully rich, and produce 
vast quantities of a plant similar in its taste and smell to our 
th}Tne. On this fragrant herb are fed immense quantities of 
sheep and cattle ; they devour it with great eagerness, and it 
gives the mutton a flavor so like our venison, that an epicure 
might be deceived in the taste. The valleys are generally 
level, from four to eight miles in breadth, and in several pla- 
ces intersected with rivulets, on the borders of which are fre- 
quently perceived whole groves of the aloe-tree. 

On or about the 14th they reached the settlement of an old 
and blind man. He had a large family and appeared to pos- 
sess a comfortable independence. When he heard the story 
of the travelers, the good farmer burst into tears, and ordered 
a glass of brandy to be given to each of the crew. After this 
unusual and cheering repast, he directed some mutton to be 
delivered to the people, and gave them a pot to dress it in. 
He then requested of the captain to mess with the family, 
which was complied with ; and when supper was ended, this 
worthy creature said he was so pleased with their escaping 
the dangers of the seas and the Caffres, that he would cele- 
brate the meeting with a song. He immediately began and 
sung v/ith the voice of Stentor. A general plaudit succeed- 
ed; and then the honest benefactor said, "Now, captain, L 
have a favor to ask of you. Pray desire all your people to 
sing." It was impossible to help laughing at this whimsical 
request ; but it was thought good humor at such a momeiit 
should not be interrupted; therefore an American sailor was 
desired to sing one of his best songs. He no sooner began 
than all the Lascars tuned their pipes; this set a going the 
Swedes, Portuguese, and Dutchmen, and all the crew; each 
party sung in their different languages and at the same tim<e. 
Such a concert was never heard before ; the liberal and merry 
old colonist was so entertained with their music, that he had 
nearly dropt from his chair in a fit of laughter. 

The captain was provided this night with a sheep-skin, on 
which he rested under the roof of the farmer's cottage ; but 
there was not room for all, and therefore most of the poor fel- 
♦ Lange Kloof (long cleft.) 



80 LOSS OF THE HERCULES. 

lows were obliged to sleep in the air. A similar inconve- 
nience had happened so frequently since they reached the 
colonies that they determined to separate. 

On the morning of the 17th they separated, and the captain 
took with him his chief and third mate, together with one 
or two more who were solicitous to accompany him. The 
country, as they advanced, increased in population ; - and the 
farm-houses were, in several places, not more than two miles 
distance from each other. Many of them were beautifully 
situated, and the lands produced grain, oranges, figs, and lem- 
ons in abundance. Their grapes likewise appeared to flou- 
rish, and supplied them with wine and brandies, which they 
vended chiefly at the Cape. Vast herds of deer, and par- 
tridges out of all number, were seen, and immense tracts of 
land covered entirely with aloe-trees. 

From the 17th to the 21st they traveled a mountainous 
country ; but the valleys constantly presented farms and habi- 
tations where the industry of the husbandman was amply re- 
warded. The flocks of sheep were prodigious ; but the cat- 
tle were not so numerous nor in such good condition as those 
seen in the more advanced colonies. 

On the 22d they arrived at Zwellingdam,* and proceeded 
to the landorse-house. The landorsef is the chief man of 
the place, and his settlement consists of about sixteen or eigh- 
teen houses, surrouuded by a delightful country, and pro- 
ducing grain, vegetables for culinary purposes, grapes and 
fruits of almost every description. 

This gentleman gave them a very hospitable reception, and 
the next morning furnished the captain with a horse and guide 
to conduct him to his brother-in-law's ; that nothing might be 
omitted on his part to secure a favorable reception at the 
Cape, the captain's worthy host gave them a very kind letter 
to his friend General Craig, commander in chief, acquainting 
him of the loss of the ship, and the miseries endured by the 
crew in their travels through the desert. He also request- 
ed the general would do them every kindness in his power, 
which he would acknowledge as an obligation conferred up- 
on himself. 

They arrived at the settlement of Johannes Brinch, at Stal- 
len Bush,J on the third or fourth clay, after traveling a coun- 
try highly cultivated, and producing immense forests of the 

* Zwellendam. 

+ Land-drost chief magistrate of a district. 

t Stellenbosch. 



LOSS OF THE HORNET. 81 

aloe-tree. The farmers live here in affluence, and the crew 
continued to experience the most liberal and kind attention 
during the remainder of their journey. 

On their arrival at Stallen Bush, the captain waited on Mr. 
Brinch, whose reputation can never be mentioned but in terms 
of the most fervent gratitude and esteem. His residence is 
one of those delightful places which, from its natural situation 
and fertility, wraps the beholder, the moment he sees it, in a 
kind of ecstasy. The vines there are reared with great atten- 
tion, and are highly productive. Grain, vegetation, and fruits, 
yield abundant crops ; and camphire-trees of very large di- 
mensions thrive also in the settlement. Indeed, the whole set- 
tlement seemed to be so precisely what it should be, that any 
alteration must be a deformity. The people here dress well, 
but nearer the English than the Dutch style. They have 
nothing of that sullen taciturnity belonging to the character 
of the Hollander ; but are sprightly and good humored. 

" I remained two days (says the captain) under the roof of 
this liberal and benevolent gentleman. He pressed me to 
stay longer ; but I was desirous of reaching the Cape, and 
therefore declined his hospitable invitation. In the morning, 
therefore, he provided me with a horse and guide, and I took 
my departure from Stallen Bush on the 30th, in the morning. 
Our journey was but short, and we arrived the same evening 
at the Cape of Good Hope ; and although emaciated in my 
frame, yet in tolerable health." 



LOSS OF THE SLOOP OF WAR HORNET 

TUe following account of this lamented ship may he relied 
upon as authentic. It was furnished for the Sailor' s Ma- 
gazine hy a gentleman who served seven years on hoard of 
that ship, and who holds the medal hy which a grateful 
country has sought to perpetuate the deeds of hravery that 
have been done in her. Congress have passed a law, giviyig 
to the heirs of the officers, seamen, and marines, who were 
in the service of the United States, and lost in the Hornet, 
a sum equal to six months^ pay, in addition to what was due 
September 10, 1830. 

The United States sloop of war Hornet, which is supposed 
to have foundered in the tremendous hurricane that swept 



82 LOSS OF THE HORNET. 

along the coast of Mexico in the early part of September, 
1829, was built as a brig in Baltimore, in the year 1805. 
In the summer of that year, captain, now commodore Isaac 
Chauncey, was appointed to the command of her. In October, 
Captain Chauncey sailed from Baltimore for New- York. 
Shortly after his arrival at the latter port he received orders 
to proceed in the Hornet to Hampton Roads, and on his arri- 
val there received further orders to sail for Charleston, and 
to cruise off the harbor of that city for the protection of our 
commerce against the depredations of privateers, which at 
that time so frequently annoyed and interrupted our merchant 
vessels along that coast. In the discharge of the duties con- 
nected with that important service, he continued until March, 
1806, when, by order of the secretary of the navy, he returned 
to New- York, and resigned the command of the Hornet to 
Captain John H. Dent. 

tinder the latter commander she was fitted out, and soon 
after sailed for the Mediterranean, where she remained until 
ordered to return to the United States. After her arrival. Cap- 
tain Hunt commanded her for some time, and made several 
cruises in her, and in 1810 she proceeded to Washington, at 
which place she was converted into a ship. 

In 1811 the Hornet left Washington for Norfolk, in charge 
of Mr. Henry E. Ballard, her first lieutenant, now commander 
of the Delaware. At Norfolk the late lamented James Law- 
rence joined her as her commander, and sailed for New- 
York, where she took on board Messrs. Biddle and Tayloe, 
who were proceeding to France and England, as bearers of 
despatches to those governments. After performing this 
service she returned to New- York. War having been de- 
clared between the United States and Great Britain, she sailed 
from this port on the 21st of- January, 1812, as one of the 
squadron under Commodore Rogers ; she joined in the chase 
of the Belvidere frigate, and afterward assisted at the capture 
of eight vessels during the cruise. She remained with the 
squadron until its arrival in Boston, August 31st, 1812. Her 
second cruise during the war, under Captain Lawrence, was 
in company with the Constitution, Commodore Bainbridge; 
having separated from that ship on the coast of Brazil, the 
Hornet captured many very valuable prizes, and blockaded, 
from the sixth to the twenty -fourth of January, 1813, the 
Bonne Citoyenne, in the harbor of St. Salvador, when the 
Montague 74 hove in sight, and chased her ofl^. While cruis- 
ing off Pemambuco, she captured the British brig Resolution, 



LOSS OF THE HORNET. 83 

often guns — ^this vessel had twenty-three thousand dollars in 
specie on hoard. The Hornet then cruised some time on the 
coast of Maranham and Surinam, and off Demarara. On the 
twenty-fourth of February she fell in with and captured his 
Britannic Majesty's sloop of war Peacock. After this action 
she returned to the United States, and arrived at Holmes's 
Hole in March 1813, having been absent one hundred and 
forty-five days. In a few days she proceeded to New- York ; 
and Captain James Bid die succeeded Captain Lawrence in 
the command of her in May, 1813. 

The Hornet was again soon prepared for sea, and joined 
the squadron under Commodore Decatur, which was chased 
into New- London harbor in June, and blockaded there. Capt. 
Biddle obtained permission to attempt his escape in the Hor- 
net, and succeeded in evading the British squadron, and join- 
ed a force at New- York, intended to cruise under Commo- 
dore Decatur in the East Indies. In January, 1814, the Hor- 
net sailed in company with the Peacock, but separated from 
that ship when out a few days. She then proceeded to the 
island of Tristan d'Acunha, their first place of rendezvous, 
and arrived there on the twenty-third of March. On that day 
she fell in with and captured his Britannic Majesty's sloop of 
war Penguin. A few days after this action she was joined 
by the Peacock and Tom Bowline ; the latter vessel being a 
store ship, was converted into a cartel, and d(^spatched for St. 
Salvador with the prisoners. 

On the twelfth of April the Hornet left the island of Tris- 
tan d'Acunha for the Cape of Good Flope, and on the twenty- 
eighth she was chased by a line of battle ship ; — during the 
chase (which lasted thirty-six hours) she fired many shot into 
the Hornet, at the distance of not more than three quarters of 
a mile. The Hornet arrived at St. Salvador in June, without 
guns, boats, anchors or cables, it having been found necessary 
to throw them overboard during the chase. After getting a 
supply of necessaries, she left the above place for the United 
States, and arrived in New-York on the thirtieth of July, 
when, in consequence of the ratification of peace, she was laid 
up in ordinary until the year 1818. 

In that year she was again put in commission, and Captain 
George C. Read ordered to her as her commander. She sail- 
ed for the West Indies in February, and after cruising there 
for some time, proceeded to the North Sea and the Baltic, 
and brought home from Copenhagen our Consul-General, 
Mr. Forbes, and several American seamen, (mutineers.) 



84 LOSS OF THE HORNET. 

She arrived at Boston in December, having been absent near- 
ly ten months. She very soon after sailed again, under the 
iame commander, for the Mediterranean and the coast of 
Spain, and was employed in carrying out our minister Mr. 
Forsyth; she then returned to New- York; and in June, 1820. 
left there on another cruise to the Canary and Cape de Verd 
Islands, and the Coast of Africa; she continued on that cruis- 
ing ground for two months ; from thence she ran down ' the 
trades' to the West Indies, and cruised there for some time, 
and returned to New- York in January, 1821. 

In March following she sailed again for the West Indies 
under the same commander ; she was employed in giving 
convoy to the Spanish troops and citizens from Pensacola to 
the Havana, after the entry into that place by General, now 
President Jackson. In September, 1821, she arrived again 
in New-York ; and soon after. Captain Robert Henley suc- 
ceeded Captain Read in the command of this ship, and sailed 
in October following for the West India station. 

In 1823 she was commanded by Captain Sidney Smith, 
and was employed in the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico. 
In 1824 she was commanded by Captain Stephen Cassin; 
and in 1825 Captain Edmund P. Kennedy was her command- 
er. In 1826 Captain Woodhouse Vv^as ordered to her, cruised 
for some time in the West Indies, and returned to Norfolk ; 
at which place Captain Alexander Claxton took command of 
her, proceeded to the West Indies, and returned to New- 
York, December 7th, 1827. Captain Claxton sailed again in 
May, 1828, cruised in the West Indies, and returned to New- 
York in November. Captain Otho Norris assumed the com- 
mand on the 19th of December, 1828, and sailed from New- 
York on the 4th of February, 1829, on a cruise in the West 
Indies and Gulf of Mexico, from which he never returned. 

From the preceding narrative of the numerous and exten- 
sive cruises of the late U. S. ship Hornet, it will bs readily 
perceived that but few national vessels have ever performed 
greater or more important services than she has done. Of 
her class of ships she was always considered a peculiar fa- 
vorite in our navy. In the list of her various commanders, 
and other officers attached to her at different times, will be 
found the names of many of our distinguished heroes, who 
have contributed to fill the measure of their country's naval 
glory. Among them will be 'seen the honored name of the 
late heroic and lamented Lawrence, whose expiring orders to 
those around him, " Don't give up the ship !" — will be the 



LOSS OF THE HORNET. / 85 

watch-word of American commanders, in every future navai 
r.onflict. 

In the sudden and total loss of the Hornet, and ^er brave 
officers and crew, we are solemnly admonished of the uncer- 
tainty of life, and the utter futility of all human calculations. 
It was but a few days previous to that tremendous hurricane 
which engulfed her in the great abyss, that some of our citi- 
zens, then residing in Mexico, and wishing to escape from the 
war and convulsions of that distracted country, embarked 
themselves and their property on board, and claimed for 
themselves, as Americans, the protection of that ship ^ doubt- 
less, anticipating a speedy return to the bosom of their be- 
loved families, and the enjoyment of social intercourse in 
their own free and happy land. But He who seeth not as 
man seeth, had, in the councils of his wise and just, though 
inscrutable providence, otherwise ordained ; and it becomes 
the duty of all, whether sojourning on the land or traversing 
the mighty waters, to bow Avith submission to his sovereign 
will, knowing, that however mysterious his disposal of his 
creatures may now appear, it will be made manifest in that 
day when " the earth and the sea shall give up their dead." 

This solemn and afflicting providence, by which nearly 
two hundred of our fellow-citizens, in the full enjoyment of 
health and strength, found a watery grave, calls loudly on 
all, and especially on those who follow the sea, in the em- 
phatic language of divine inspiration, " Be ye also ready, for 
in such an hour as you think not, the Son of Man cometh." 



The following lines from the Charleston Courier, suggested by read- 
ing an account of the supposed and probable loss of the United States 
ship Hornet, will exemplify the deep sympathy which has been called 
forth in various parts of the United States. 

Far on the deep, where storms and tempests reign, 
And thunders burst terrific o'er the main, 
When ocean's billows in confusion rise, 
And rear their tops, contending, to the skies. 

Behold the bark, as through the mist she's driven, 
With meteor swiftness, by the blast of heaven ; 
See how she rides- the dismal mountain's verge, 
Then stoops her prow, and plunges in the surge. 

No canvass now spreads out to catch the breeze. 
No compass guides her course through trackless seas, 
No watch aloft now tells of succor near — 
For horror sheds har darkest influence there. 
8 



SHIPWRECK OF THE 

All reefed and close her ponderous sails are tied, 
Her helm is lashed along her trembling side, 
Each yard is braced, each cord is bound with care, 
Each soul on board now stands in mute despair. 

Surge after surge now rolls with fury by, 
Black wreaths of cloud now thicken o'er the sky, 
Each moment brings new terrors o'er the mind. 
Destruction rides in fury on the wind. 

Devoted souls ! what now avails your zeal 1 
Where sleeps that courage you were wont to feel 1 
Where's now the daring which, in conflict tried, 
Proclaimed ye well, your dear lov'd country's pride 

'Twould not avail ye in an hour like this, 
Nor bear ye safely from the dread abyss; — 
Your country's tears could not appease the storm, 
Nor friendship snatch ye from the power of harm. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE COUNTESS DE BOURK, 



ON THE COAST OF ALGIERS. 



And Adventures of her Daughter, Mademoiselle de Bourk, 
in 1719. 
The Count De Bourk, an Irish officer in the service of 
Spain, having been appointed ambassador extraordinary, by 
his Catholic Majesty, to the Court of Sweden, his consort, 
the daughter of the Marquis de Varenne, who resided in 
France wdth her family, determined to join him at Madrid. 
With this view she demanded and obtained a passport for 
herself and her whole family, excepting one of her sons, 
three or four years of age, whom she left with her mother the 
Marchioness de Varenne. As she passed through Avignon 
she was joined by her brother, an officer in the navy, who ac- 
companied her to Montpelier. Here he dissuaded her from 
going by land, through the armies of France and Spain, 
though the Marechal de Berwick had offered to exert his ut- 
most endeavors to procure her a safe passage to the Spanish 
frontiers ; and his son, the Marquis de Berwick, had promised 
her any escort she wished from the frontiers to Gironne,* 
where he comm.anded the troops of his Catholic Majesty. 

♦ Gerona, in Catalonia. 



COUNTESS DE BOURK. 87 

The dread of the armies induced her to listen to the represen- 
tation, that without incurring so many dangers and so great 
an expense, the shortest way would be to embark at Cette, 
from whence she might reach Barcelona in twenty-four hours. 
This plan she adopted the more readily, as she had before 
made several voyages. Having procured another passport 
she repaired to Cette, where she found several French ves- 
sels ; but as none of them were bound to Spain, she was 
obliged to take her passage in a Genoese tartan that was 
ready to sail for Barcelona. 

Madame de Bourk embarked with her son, aged eight 
years, her daughter, nine years and ten months ; the Abbe de 
Bourk, four female servants, a steward, and a footman. These, 
with two other persons, composed the whole of her suite. 
She likewise had on board part of her effects and much va- 
luable property ; among the rest a rich service of silver plate, 
a portrait of the king of Spain set in gold and enriched 
with diamonds, &c. the whole forming seventeen bales or 



The tartan set sail on the 22d of October, 1719. On the 
25th, at day-break, an Algerine corsair, commanded by a 
Dutch renegade, appeared about two leagues to windward of 
the tartan, which was then in sight of the coast of Palamos. 
The captain despatched his long boat, with twenty armed 
Turks, to take possession of her. As they approached thev 
fired seven or eight musket shots without wounding any per- 
son, because the whole of the crew had either fallen flat on 
the deck or concealed themselves. The Turks boarded the 
tartan sword in hand, and wounded one of Madame deBourk's 
servants in two places. They then proceeded to the cabin, 
where that lady was, placed four centinels over it, and stood 
with the tartan toward the corsair. On the way the Turks 
ransacked every part of the vessel. They found some hams, 
which they threw overboard, but greedily devoured the pas- 
ties, and drank immoderately of the wine and brandy. 

When they came along side the corsair they removed all 
the Genoese into her, and immediately put them in irons. 
The captain then went on board the tartan to Madame de 
Bourk's cabin, inquired who she was, of what nation, whence 
she came, and whither she was bound. She replied that she 
was a French woman, that she was come from France, and 
going to Spain. He desired to see her passport, which she 
showed him, without suffering it to go out of her hands, fear- 
ing the barbarian might destroy it; but upon the assurance 



88 SHIPWRECK OF THE 

of the corsair that he would return it unto her, she resigned 
it to him. After reading it with his interpreter, he restored it 
to her, saying that it was good, and that she needed to be un- 
der no apprehension for herself, her suite, and her property. 
Madame de Bourk then requested, that as she was tree both 
by her passport and her country, he would land her in his 
long-boat on the coast of Spain, to which they were so near ; 
observing, that he owed this mark of respect to the passport 
of France ; that by his compliance h« would spare her much 
fatigue, and her husband excessive anxiety ; and that if he 
would render her this service, she would render him a suit- 
able acknowledgment. The corsair replied that, being a re- 
negado, he could not gratify her Avishes but at the peril of his 
own life; it being an easy matter to persuade the Dey of Al- 
giers that, under the pretext of a French passport, he had re- 
leased a family belonging to some power inimical to his state, 
if he landed her upon Christian ground ; that it was abso- 
lutely necessary she should accompany him to Algiers, that 
a representation of her passport and her person might be 
made to the Dey, after which she would be delivered to the 
French consul, who would procure her a conveyance to Spain 
in any way she might think proper. He added, that he 
gave her the option of removing to his vessel or remaining 
on board the tartan, where she would enjoy more liberty and 
Iranauillity than in his ship ; advising her to adopt the latter 
proposal, as it would not be prudent to trust her, and all the 
females who accompanied her, among nearly two hundred 
Turks, or Moors, of which the crew of his vessel consisted. 
Madame de Bourk accepted the latter proposal, and the cap- 
tain sent on board only seven Turks, or Moors, to work the 
tartan, which he took in tow, after taking away her boat, three 
anchors, and all her provisions, excepting what belonged to 
Madame de Bourk. After this arrangement the corsair bore 
away for Algiers. Madame de Bourk made him a present 
of her watch, and gave another to the Turkish commander 
of the tartan. 

On the 28th a furious tempest arose, and continued till the 
30th, during which the cable that lashed the two vessels to- 
gether parted, and the tartan was separated from the pirate. 
The commanding officer and the other Turks being extreme- 
ly ignorant in nautical manoeuvres, and without any compass, 
that belonging to the tartan having been broken in the fury 
of boarding, resigned the direction of the ship to the winds 
and the sea. Nevertheless, the tartan was driven on the 1st 



COUNTESS DE BOURK. 89 

of November, without accident, upon the coast of Barbary, 
into a gulf called Colo, to the eastward of Gigeri. There 
they came to an anchor, and the commander being unacquain- 
ted with that part of the coast, ordered two Moors to swim to 
sliore to inquire of the inhabitants where he was. 

The Moors in the vicinity perceiving the tartan, repaired 
armed, and in great numbers, to the shore, to oppose any land- 
ing ; they conjectured that it was a Christian vessel, come for 
the purpose of carrying off their cattle; but they were unde- 
ceived by the Moors belonging to the corsair, who informed 
them that it was a prize taken from the Christians, and had 
on board an illustrious French princess, whom they were car- 
rying to Algiers. One of the Moors remained on shore, the 
other swam back to inform the captain what coast it was oft 
which he had anchored, and its distance from Algiers ; tell- 
ing him at the same time that they must have been driven 
past that city by the violence of the wind which had prevail- 
ed for several days. Upon this intelligence the commander, 
impatient to depart and join the corsair, did not give himselt 
time to weigh anchor, but cutting the cable, set sail, without 
anchor, boat, or compass. 

He was not half a league from the gulf when he paid dear- 
ly for his imprudence ; a contrary wind arose, which, in spite 
of his exertions, drove him back to the shore ; he attempted 
to use his oars, but, Avith the few hands he had on board, they 
were perfectly useless. The tartan struck upon a rock and 
went to pieces. The whole of the stern was instantly under 
water, and Madame de Bourk, who was at prayers in the cabin 
with her son and female domestics, had nearly perished with 
them. Those who were at the head of the ship, among whom 
were the Abbe de Bourk, Mr. Arture, an Irishman, the stew- 
ard, one of the maids, and the footman, clung to that part of 
the wreck which remained on the rock. 

Mr. Arture perceiving something in the water struggling 
with the waves, ventured down, and found that it was Made- 
moiselle de Bourk, whom he rescued from her perilous situa- 
tion, and delivered her into the hands of the steward, recom- 
mending her to his care, adding, that for his part he would be- 
take himself to the sea, as he was the only person who could 
swim. Fortunate would it have been for him if he had not 
trusted to his dexterity ; for from that moment he was never 
seen more. The Abbe first descended from the rock on 
which the tartan struck ; he there supported himself some 
lime, against the violence of the waves, by means of his knife, 

8* 



90 



SHIPWRECK OF THE 



which he had thrust with force into a cleft of the rock. The 
sea broke several times over him, and even threw him upon a 
dry rock, where he had only a small arm of the sea to cross, 
in order to arrive at the shore. To assist him in reaching it, 
he endeavored to seize a plank from the wreck, that was near 
him, but failed. At length, by means of an oar, he gained a 
rock communicating with the mainland. 

He was seized and stripped by the Moors on the shore, who 
cut off all his clothes, even to his shirt, and otherwise ill treat- 
ed him. While some were thus engaged, others in great 
numbers threw themselves into the sea, in expectation of a 
rich booty. The steward, who held Mademoiselle de Bourk 
in his arms, made a sign to two of these barbarians, who ap- 
proached him, and when they Avere within four paces, he 
threw her to them with all his might ; they caught her, and 
laying hold of her, one by an arm and the other by a leg, 
they conveyed her to the shore, where they took away only 
one of her shoes and stockings as a token of servitude. The 
steward, who confirmed ail the circumstances of this fatal 
event, has repeatedly declared, that while he held her in his 
arms, upon the approach of the barbarians, she said to him, 
with an air superior to her years, " I am not afraid that those 
people will kill me, but I am apprehensive that they will at- 
tempt to make me change my religion ; however, I will rather 
suffer death than break my prom-ise to my God." He con- 
firmed her in this generous sentiment, declaring that he had 
taken the same resolution, in which she earnestly exlioilexi 
him to persevere. 

The maid servant and the footman then threw themselves 
into the water, where they were received by the Moors, who 
assisted them in crossing the aim of the sea, and conducted 
them to the shore, where they stripped them quite naked. 
The steward having committed himself to the mercy of the 
waves, and making use of a cord to assist him in getting from 
rock to rock, was met by a Moor, who likewise stripped him 
before he arrived at the shore. 

In this deplorable and humiliating state they were at first 
conducted to some huts on the nearest mountain. They v/ere 
hurried forward by blows, along rugged roads, which tore 
their feet. The servant maid, in particular, was to be pitied, 
the poor girl being almost covered with blood from the wounds 
she had received in scrambling over the rocks. Each of 
them had beside a burthen of wet clothes, and they were 
obliged to carry the young lady by turns. Having arrived, 



COUXTESS DE BOURK. 91 

half dead, at the mountain, they were received amidst the 
shouts of the Moors and the cries of the cliildren. These 
barbarians had with tliem a great many dogs, which are un- 
commonly numerous in that country ; the animals being excit- 
ed by the tumult, joined their barkings to the general discord. 
One of them tore the footman's leg, and another took a piece 
out of the thigh of the maid servant. 

These unfortunate people were then separated ; the female 
domestic and the footman were delivered to a Moor of the vil- 
lage, and Providence permitted Mademoiselle de Bourk to re- 
main under one and the same master with the Abbe and the 
steward. He first gave each of them a miserable cloak full 
of vermin ; their only food, after such fatigues, consisted of a 
morsel of rye bread, prepared without leaven, and baked un- 
derneath the ashes, with a little water ; and their bed was the 
bare ground. The steward seeing his young mistress quite 
chilled by her clothes that were soaked in the water, with dif- 
ficulty procured a fire to be made, before which he wrung 
them out and dressed her again before they were half dry, 
being unable to remain naked any longer. In this manner 
she passed the first night, terrified and comfortless. 

The place in which they Avere, contained about fifty in- 
habitants, all of whom resided in five or six huts, constructed 
with branches of trees and reeds. Here they lived together 
pell-mell, men, women, children, and beasts of every descrip- 
tion. The barbarians assembled in the hut where the three 
captives Avere, to deliberate upon their fate. Some, conforma- 
bly with a principle of their religion, advised that they should 
be put to death, conceiving that the sacrifice of I'aese Chris- 
tians would ensure them the joj^s of Mahomet's paradise. 
Others, from a principle of interest and the hope of a great 
ransom, were of the contrary opinion ; thus the assembly 
broke up without coming to any determination. 

The ensuing day, having sent for the inhabitants of the 
neighboring villages, they returned in great numbers. This 
was a day of continual alarm to the new slaA^es. Many of 
the barbarians made the most outrageous menaces, pointing 
to the fire, and giving them to understand that they would be 
burned alive ; others, drawing their sabres, appeared resolved, 
by their gestures, to cut off their heads. One of them seized 
Mademoiselle de Bourk by the hair, applying the edge of his 
sabre to her throat ; others charged their muskets with ball, 
in the presence of their captives, and presented them against 
their cheeks. The steward signified, by signs, that he and his 



92 SHIPWRECK OF THE 

companions should esteem it a felicity to die for the Christian 
religion, and that all the loss would be theirs, as they would 
deprive themselves, by this act of inhumanity, of the ransom 
they might otherwise expect. Upon this the most outrageous 
relented a little, but the women and children every moment 
renewed their insults. 

They were guarded with such vigilance, that a Moor, with 
a halbert in his hand, attended them on every occasion, the 
barbarians being apprehensive that they might escape, or that 
their prey might be taken from them by force. With the lat- 
ter they were, in fact, threatened a few days afterward by the 
Bey of Constantine, who demanded that the prisoners should 
be sent to him, or he would come in person with his army to 
fetch them away. The Moors replied that they feared neither 
him nor his army, even were it united to that of Algiers. 
These Moors do not acknowledge the sovereignty of Algiers, 
though surrounded by its territory, and naturally the subjects 
of that power. They live in perfect independence under the 
denomination of Cabail, or the revolted ; and the mountains 
of Couco serve them as impregnable ramparts against all the 
forces of Algiers. 

Such was the state of these victims of misfortune, over- 
whelmed with fatigue, unable to obtain repose, tormented with 
hunger, and consigned, without any human assistance, into 
the hands of merciless barbarians. These ferocious men even 
appeared so enraged against them, that when they spoke to 
them the fire flashed in their eyes, and the white, which is so 
perceptible in the Negroes and Moors, could not be distinguish- 
ed. The maid servant and the footman experienced trials 
equalJy afflicting, and were still deprived of the consolation 
of seeing their mistress, or hearing any tidings of her. 

But even these accumulated evils, which left them without 
any other comfort than what they derived from religion, were 
insignificant, in comparison with the horrid spectacle which 
was soon presented to their eyes. The Moors, not contented 
with having in their possession the five persons who had es- 
caped from the wreck, endeavored to recover some of the ef- 
fects swallowed up by the sea, and which they conjectured to 
be of considerable value. As they were excellent divers, they 
soon raised the bales and chests, as well as the dead bodies, 
from the bottom of the sea. They took with them the stew- 
ard and the footman, to assist them in removing to the moun- 
tain whatever they might save. After dragging the bodies 
on shore, they stripped them for the sake of their clothes, and 



COUNTESS DE BOURK. 93 

with flints cut off Madame de Bourk's fingers to get her rings, 
fearing lest they should profane their knives if they came in 
contact with the bodies of Christians. 

What a spectacle for the unfortunate captives ! to behold 
the remains of persons so respectable exposed as a prey to 
wild beasts; and what a thousand times more afflicting, to 
the insults of the Moors, who took delight in hearing the 
sound produced by stones thrown on their bodies swelled 
with the sea-water. The steward endeavored to represent 
to them, as well as his consternation would permit, that it was 
a violation of humanity, and that they ought at least to suffer 
them to be interred ; but they replied that they never buried 
dogs. The footman having a load upon his back, a Moor en- 
deavored to make him pass by the bodies because it was the 
shortest way ; but he was unable to compel him, and the vir- 
tuous domestic, penetrated with horror, chose rather to climb 
a steep rock than to behold these melancholy objects. The 
steward, upon his return to the mountain, durst not mention 
his grief to Mademoiselle de Bourk, but concealed from her 
the horrid sight which he had witnessed. 

The Moors meanwhile divided the booty ; the richest stuffs 
were cut in pieces and distributed among the children to de- 
corate their heads ; the silver plate was sold to the highest 
bidder, and three goblets, each of which was worth at least 
twenty pounds sterling, were sold in a lot for less than five 
shillings, because, being tarnished by the sea-waler, the 
Moors, from their color, supposed them to be nothing but cop- 
per, and of little value. With respect to the books which 
they found, they regarded them as useless lumber, and were 
easily induced to resign them to the steward and the footman, 
whom they compelled to assist them in removing the pack- 
ages. The steward likewise saved his writing desk, which 
proved extremely useful, as we shall presently see. 

During the three weeks that they remained at this place, 
Mademoiselle de Bourk took advantage of the writing-desk, 
and a few leaves of blank paper which she found at the be- 
ginning and end of the books brought by the steward, to write 
three letters to the French consul at Algiers ; but none of them 
was received. Three weeks after their shipwreck they were 
removed into the midst of the lofty mountains of Couco, where 
the sheik commanding these barbarians apparently resided. 
They were escorted by twelve of them, armed with sabres, fu- 
sils, and halberts. They obliged the abbe and the steward to 
ry the young lady alternately over the rugged mountains. 



94 SHIPWRECK OF THE 

Accustomed themselves to climb those places with rapidity, 
they urged them on with blows to walk faster than they were 
able. By these means they made a long day's journey ; at 
night each of them received a piece of bread, and enjoyed the 
comfort of sleeping upon boards for the first time. 

The shiek and chiefs of the Moors held a consultation re- 
specting their captives; but being unable to agree about the 
division of them, they resolved to send them back to the place 
whence they came. Before they departed, the steward hav- 
ing taken a little straw from some of the beasts near the spot 
for his young mistress to lie upon, the master of the hut was 
so enraged that he snatched up an axe, obliged him to lay his 
head down upon a block, and was about to strike the fatal 
blow, but was prevented by a Moor Avho accidentally entered. 
Three or four times a day, according to their barbarous hu- 
mor, they came and seized them by the throat, after shutting 
the door of the hut, for fear of being interrupted, and with 
their sabres in their hands threatened them with instant de- 
struction; but an invisible power resisted their arms and re- 
pressed their fury. 

As they were still detained, notwithstanding the resolution 
that had been taken to send them back to their first master, 
the latter accompanied by a Turk from Bugia, came to fetch 
them ; but sixteen armed Moors, of the mountains compelled 
him to resign them. The barbarian, disappointed of his prey, 
seized the young lady and drew his sabre to cut off her head; 
but the Turk, by his remonstrances, prevailed upon him to de- 
sist from his sanguinary purpose. At length they were per- 
mitted to depart. Those who escorted them on their return, 
fired with religious zeal, or impelled by their blood-thirsty dis- 
position, were ready every moment to sacrifice their ill-fated 
victims. On one occasion, among many others, they took the 
abbe and the steward behind a thick bush to sacrifice them to 
their prophet ; but they once more escaped from this immi- 
nent danger. 

They arrived in the evening at the village, the scene of their 
dreary servitude. Here they frequently received only the 
raw leaves of turnips to eat, without bread. However, the 
friendship which the children, by degrees, conceived for the 
young lady, obtained her the indulgence of a little milk with 
her bread. 

At length a fourth letter, written by Mademoiselle de Bourk 
to the consul, and the only one which came to hand, arrived 
at Algiers on the 24th of November, and was sent by the Pey 



COUNTESS DE BOTJRK. 95 

to the French consul, who immediately communicated its con- 
tents to M. Desault. The unfortunate young lady there re- 
lated, in a simple, but affecting manner, that after the ship- 
wreck of her mother, she and her suite had been consigned 
to the most frightful and abject slavery ; that they were dying 
of hunger and subject to every kind of ill treatment that could 
be inflicted by the enemies of religion and humanity ; and 
that they were devoured by vermin. She implored him in- 
stantly to take compassion on their misery and to send them 
some relief, till he was able to procure their liberty, of which 
the continual menaces of the barbarians tended to deprive 
them of all hope. This letter deeply affected all those who 
read it. Every one made an offer of his money and his ser- 
vices to M. Desault, who did not want much entreaty on the 
subject, being intimately acquainted with the family of Made- 
moiselle de Bourk. He instantly gave orders for the equip- 
ment of a French tartan lying in the port, purchased clothes 
and provisions, and obtained of the Dey a letter of recom- 
mendation to the grand marabout, or the high priest of Bugia, 
who possesses the greatest authority over those people. He 
likewise wrote to the young lady and sent her several pre- 
sents. On the evening of the same day the tartan set sail, and 
in a short time arrived at Bugia. 

There, Ibrahim Aga, the national interpreter, sent by M. 
Desault, in the tartan, presented the Dey's and M. Desault's 
letters to the grand marabout. Though sick, the latter in- 
stantly rose from his bed, mounted his horse with the mara- 
bout of Gigeri, the interpreter, and six or seven other Moors, 
and proceeded to the mountains, Vv^hich were five or six days 
journey from Bugia. Upon their arrival, the Moors, the mas- 
ters of the captives, having descried the company at a dis- 
tance, shut themselves up in their hut, to the number of ten or 
twelve, with drawn sabres. The marabout knocked violently 
at the door and asked where were the Christians. They re- 
ceived for answer that they were at the extremity of the vil- 
lage ; but a Moor, who was within, made a sign that they 
were in the hut. The company immediately alighted, and or- 
dered the door to be opened. The Moors then fled, and the 
marabouts entered. 

At the sight of them the slaves conceived that their last hour 
was come ; but their apprehensions were soon dispelled by the 
grand marabout, who went up to Mademoiselle de Bourk and 
delivered the consul's letters, together with the provisions he 
had sent her. He and all his suite passed the night in the hut, 



9^6 SHIPWRECK OF THE 

and the next morning he sent the children of the Moors in 
quest of the fugitives. They came in compliance with his 
orders, and kissed his hand, according to their custom; for 
the Moors entertain a profound veneration for their marabouts; 
ihey fear them more than any other power, and their male- 
diction is more formidable than all the menaces of Algiers ; 
and it is in the name of the marabout, and not of God, that the 
poor ask charity. 

The grand marabout likewise sent for the governor of the 
mountains, and the chiefs of the huts composing the village. 
When they were assembled in that where he was, he informed 
them that the occasion of his visit was the release of five 
French subjects who had escaped from shipwreck; that France 
being at peace with the kingdom of Algiers, they ought not, 
contrary to the faith of treaties, to detain these people, already 
too unfortunate in having lost their relatives and their proper- 
ty, without depriving them of their liberty and their lives ; that 
though the mountain Moors were not subject to the authority 
of Algiers, yet they enjoyed the advantages of the peace v/ith 
France : and lastly, that they would be guilty of great injus- 
tice if they did not release them, having already obtained a 
rich booty from the wreck. The Moors, though their argu- 
ments were bad, defended themselves as well as they could. 

During this contest, the joy which had animated the wretch- 
ed captives at the prospect of a speedy release from the hor- 
rors of slavery was gradually dispelled : gloomy inquietude 
succeeded the ray of hope which had dawned upon their 
minds. But their consternation was extreme when the inter- 
preter told them that the Moors, induced by the authority and 
reasons of the marabout, agreed to set the slaves at liberty 
upon condition that the sheik, or marabout, should retain the 
young lady ; saying that he intended her for a wife for his 
son, a youth about fourteen; that he was not unworthy of her, 
and that if she were even the daughter of the king of France, 
his son was her equal, being the offspring of the king of the 
mountains. This new incident appeared more distressing 
than all the others, and their captivity seemed less dreadful 
than the necessity of leaving their mistress, so young and 
without any kind of support, in the hands of the barbarians. 

Notwithstanding all solicitations, the sheik remained in- 
flexible ; but at length the marabout, taking him aside, put 
into his hand a few sultans of gold, with the promise of more. 
The gold instantly rendered him more tractable. He agreed 
to release all the captives for the sum of nine hundred pias- 



COUNTESS DE BOURK. 97 

tres, to be paid immediately. In concluding this bargain, the 
mountaineers declared to the deputies that their consent was 
the effect of the veneration they entertained for their mara- 
bouts, and did not originate from any fear of the Dey of Al- 
giers, The marabout having left a Turk as a hostage, to- 
gether with several jewels belonging to his wives, departed 
with the five slaves. 

They proceeded to Bugia, where they arrived on the 9th of 
December, embarked the following day, and landed at Algiers 
on the 13th, at day-break. The consul went to meet them, 
and conducted them from the port to the ambassador's hotel, 
which was crowded with Christians, Turks, and even Jews. 
The ambassador received the young lady at the entrance into 
the court, and first conducted her to his chapel, where she 
heard mass, and then Te Deum w^as sung to thank the Al- 
mighty for this happy deliverance. 

Scarcely any of the spectators could refrain from tears. 
Even the Turks and Jews appeared to be affected. Indeed, 
this young lady, not quite ten years of age, after enduring the 
hardships, privations, and distresses of slavery, retained a cer- 
tain air of dignity; her manners and ejcpressions announced 
an excellent education, and manifested a mind superior to the 
cruel trials to which she had been exposed. The persons be- 
longing to her suite declared that she had always been the 
first to encourage them, and had frequently exhorted them 
rather to sufler death than to betray their fidelity to their God. 

After some days allowed to these unfortunate persons, and 
the Moors, by whom they Vv^ere attended, to recruit themselves, 
the nine hundred piastres agreed to be paid, as the ransom of 
Mademoiselle de Bourk, and the persons of her suite, were 
delivered to the deputy of the grand marabout. M. Desault 
likewise added some presents tor the marabout himself, and 
the other officers who had been concerned in the negotiation. 

On the 3d January, 1720, Mademoiselle de Bourk, accom- 
panied by her uncle and female attendant, embarked in M. 
Desault's ship, and after a few ordinary accidents arrived at 
Marseilles on the 20th of March. Her uncle, the Marquis 
de Varenne, came to receive her from the hands of M, 
Desault. 

Mademoiselle de Bourk remained several years m the bo- 
som of her family, till her marriage w^th the Marquis de T — . 
She passed her life agreeably Avith him, and has not been 
dead many years. Her children, prior to the revolution, lield 
a distino-uished rank in Provence. 

o 



93 LOSS or THE ROTHSAY CASTLE. 

LOSS OF THE STEAM-PACKET ROTHSAY CASTLE. 

The personal Narrative of John A. Tinne, Esq. one of the 
twenty-one Survivors from the Wreck. 

On Wednesday, the 17th of August, 1831, 1 went on board 
the Rothsay Castle steamer, at ten o'clock, the hour appoint- 
ed for her sailing ; but we were detained till near twelve, by 
taking in a carriage belonging to Mr. and Mrs. F. This de- 
lay made us lose the greatest part of an ebb tide, which might 
have borne us far on our destination, and enabled us perhaps 
to pass the dangerous bank on which the steamer grounded 
before dark. I noticed the estimable individuals who were 
the causes of our detention, conversing cheerfully with the 
passengers about them, among others with poor de S. and J. 
L. ; but shortly after we were out of the river I went below, 
and took possession of one of the sofas, which I did not leave, 
except for a short interval toward the close of the day. I 
was trying to keep off sickness by sleep, but was frequently 
disturbed by the conversation of people about me, and other 
causes ; I particularly recollect the rumbling noise occa- 
sioned by the engine, which struck me as being louder than 
1 had ever heard it in a large steamer. There Avas water 
running to and fro with the motion of the vessel, as if be- 
hind the sofa, which some of the passengers, who inquired 
about it, were told was hilge water : it increased toward the 
latter part of the day, and I think some one remarked its run- 
ning out on the cabin floor ; but the explanation that had been 
given satisfied me, and I did not trouble myself about it. 
Sometime in the course of the day a person called to the 
Captain down the skylight, " Captain, there seems a great 
deal of danger; I Avish you would turn back:" to which the 
latter answered, " There seems a great deal of fear, but no 
danger ;" and then, addressing those about him in the cabin, 
proceeded to say, "that it would be no use turning back, as 
they would have to come over the same ground again." They 
seemed to agree with him, and to join in a laugh, as if against 
the vain fears of a timid landsman. It was bio win o* a head 
wind, and the tide was by this time strong against us ; and 
we were laboring a good deal, and must have made very littJe 
way, but there seemed to be no alarm among those around 
me. The dinner was served about three, but I did not ioin 



LOSS OF THE ROTHSAY CAStLE. 99 

in it. The captain talked a great deal after the meal, hut it 
did not strike me particularly at the time. He was compli- 
menting two young ladies upon their good seamanship, and I 
was so struck with the sweet tones of their voices, and their 
pure diction, as well as the sensible nature of their remarks, 
that I made an effort to see them, notwithstanding the aug- 
mentation of sickness by the slightest movement. They were 
both interesting looking persons — had on black silk dresses, 
and I think straw bonnets. One or two other ladies joined 
them in our cabin after nightfall ; but I suppose the greater 
portion of the females were in their own cabin. 

The captain did not remain altogether below; on one oc- 
casion, when he was below, he was asked when he should be 
in, but he gave no definite answer. The night was drawing 
on apace, and I heard that we were still twelve miles from 
the Ormstead, and going only three miles an hour, which 
was ascribed to the unfavorable tide and head wind. 

But I hasten to the more disastrous and fatal part of our 
voyage. Little was I thinking of such an event, when about 
twelve o'clock, on awaking from a temporary doze, I felt a 
shock as if the vessel had grounded; I immediately sprung 
up, and with the other passengers hurried on deck. All 
seemed a scene of confusion, and there was no obtaining any 
information about what had happened to us. The vessel, with 
her head toAvard Puffin Island, continued to beat, but, as ap- 
peared to me, only forward. Shortly, however, she began to 
strike both fore and aft, and at last we were completely 
aground, and almost incapable of advancing. The concus- 
sion continued, as if warnings of our impending fate, and our 
alarm kept pace with these dismal forebodings. 

I was going into the cabin, but found the way stopped by 
ladies sitting on the steps. I therefore returned to one of the 
benches on the poop, two or three ladies being beside me, 
much agitated. 

The gentlemen Avere then ordered forward, with a view to 
lighten the vessel astern, while the engine was kept working; 
each stroke of the wheels, however, seemed like the expiring 
ticking of a watch, and we made no way. I succeeded a per- 
son in ringing the bell. This station I occupied for twenty 
minutes or more. The individual who succeeded me, how- 
ever, lost the tongue, and they were then obliged to take a 
piece of wood instead of it ; the feelings of despair which I 
thought actuated this, sunk deeply into my soul, and, low as 
each rap v/as, it sounded like the de^tlx^kqeU of us all. 



100 LOSS OF THE ROTHSAY CASTLE. 

They were laboring hard at the pumps, and calling to relieve 
them. I went several times forward, and once in a hurry 
fell dowTi the trap-door of the engine room, but saved myself 
from going through. The anxiety of the moment did not al- 
low me to think of pain. The captain was mostly, I believe, 
in the bow of the vessel. I heard him grumbling about the 
man at the helm, who, he said, never knewj how to steer. 
The last time I noticed him, he Avas standing, perfectly mo- 
tionless, with one hand on the windlass, and he appeared 
looking out ahead : he had an oil-skin cap on, and his coat 
w^as tight buttoned. I was not inclined to speak to him, as J 
had heard him, a few minutes before, answering some pas 
sengers rudely. I recollect seeing the jib up ; but it was sooi 
hauled down. 

Shortly after, the women came rushing up from the fore 
cabin, in consequence, I supposed, of the water coming ii) 
upon them. They commenced such a moaning, intermixed 
with cries of despair, as impelled me to retreat to the poop, 
where I now more or less took my station. 

The chimney had now broken the stays which held it on 
the larboard side, and soon fell across on the starboard side, 
but did not at once go overboard. 

When I returned to the poop, I found many of the ladies, 
with their male friends, collected there — some sitting on 
benches on the larboard side, and others lying down on the 
deck, between these and the companion. I remained a few 
minutes near them, and seeing the waves begin to wash over 
us, I took off my boots. I then bethought me of getting 
something to eat, as I had not tasted any thing since breakfast, 
and was afraid of becoming exhausted in case I should have to 
swim. I was going down into the cabin for that purpose, when 
the steward stopt me, and asked how I could expect him to get 
any thing for me, when he had to look after his own and his 
wife's life ; beside, he added that the cabin was full of water 
and the lights out. Notwithstanding this, I made the attempt 
to reach the cabin ; and, descending cautiously a few steps, 
my foot touched the water, which, from passing along by the 
furnaces, was more than lukewarm. Its depth in the cabin, 
I imagine, must have been four feet. I immediately retreat- 
ed, and proceeded to get rid of some of my clothes, putting 
my money, &c. into my waistcoat pocket. A poor woman 
observed me, and asked if I Avas going to SAvim. The water 
was noAV Avashing strongly over us, and I had some difficulty 
in regaining a place in the larboard corner of the poop. One 



LOSS OF THE ROTHSAY CASTLE. 101 

individual, on a bench near me, was engaged loudly in prayer ; 
but all the others were silent. There was a rush at this time 
toward the boat ; but those who had gone into her came out 
again, (excepting a poor Avoman, with a child in her arm, who 
sat firmly fixed in the bow,) for they were told that she could 
not live in such a sea — that she had a hole in her bottom, and 
that there were no oars. After a while the stern fastening 
gave way, and the boat hung suspended at the bow by the 
painter. I assisted in dragging out the woman, reflecting at 
the same moment on the idea that the first being which had 
perished was the innocent at her breast ; but I was in error, 
a strong tie held it there, and they were both got on board. I 
was then engaged trying to loose the painter, but to no pur- 
pose. Soon, however, the boat was carried away, with the 
davit to which it was attached, and it immediately swamped. 
I now threw off more of my clothes, leaving on me only my 
waistcoat, shirt, stockings, and drawers, and of these latter 
also I soon afterward divested myself Shivering, however, 
with cold, I took shelter under a friend's cloak, which, Avet as 
it Avas, still afforded me some Avarmth. My friend asked me 
the time. I looked at my Avatch, and found it within a quar- 
ter of tvA'o. " It is possible," he said, " aa^c may hold together 
till morning, and then Ave may be seen from the land." We 
Avere also conjecturing hoAA^ far Puffin Island — the land lying 
ahead of us — might be distant, and were calculating upon the 
possibility of reaching it by swimming. I expressed my sur- 
prise that the moon Av^as not visible; but Mr. L. remarked 
that it had gone down long since. It Avas dark ; thick clouds 
were flying about the sky — and only one bright star could be 
seen, reflecting on the troubled sea. Whilst these remarks 
and observations AA^ere passing, the danger was thickening 
around us. But the conduct of Mr. Leigh AA^as firm and com- 
posed throughout the whole of our awful trial, so remarkably 
so, indeed, that the impression it has left on my mind AA'ill 
never be effaced. To this example do T ascribe, in no incon- 
siderable degree, my OAvn presence of mind, Avhich, through 
the blessing and help of my Almighty PreserA'-er, never once 
failed me, though surrounded by imminent and increasing 
peril. 

It Avas agonizing to hear the vainly uplifted shouts which 
those noAV despairing mortals around me simultaneously rais- 
ed, in hopes of being heard at the shore ; but their voices 
floated feebly on the blast, and were droAA^ned in the loud dash- 
ing of the Avaves. That of the poor woman, in whose tempo- 

9* 



102 LOSS OF THE ROTHS AY CASTLE, 

rary rescue I had assisted, was raised high above all the 
others : but what availed it to us, when our cup of sorrow was 
so rapidly filling, and was now just arrived at the brim ! 

I observed the vessel parting, the bow with its quivering 
mast leaning one way, the stern the other. I pointed out 
our situation to Mr. L. who seemed surprised it should take 
place so soon. There was a bench on the starboard side, 
which I was strongly tempted to seize hold of, but it was se- 
cured by another passenger, who hung it over the side ready 
to avail himself of it on the first occasion. The two parts of 
the wreck were separating more and more, and seemed only 
to be held together by the loose tackle. Our portion of it 
now heeled over to leeward, or toward the larboard side of 
the vessel. This induced L — , S — , and myself to move over 
to windward, which was the highest part of the deck. Here 
they held on by the stanchions and the railing, whilst I grasp- 
ed the spokes of the wheel on one side, and the end of the 
main-topmast on the other — ^the latter having fallen obliquely 
across the poop. We were hardly fixed, when a wave, larger 
than any that had preceded it, came rolling over us, and pass- 
ing onward to leewg.rd, swept away a whole line of victims 
together, along with the railing, stanchions, and benches; 
among those were most of the ladies and their friends. Evert 
in this tremendous event I only heard one person shriek, who 
I believed to be the poor woman with the child, whilst the 
others passed away without cry or groan, except what my 
imagination now fancies to itself, as a deep-drawn sigh from 
the whole mass at once. Their minds, previously, seemed 
absorbed in deep devotion, and probably they were well nigh 
dead to suffering and pain. 

The scene now before me was desolate indeed — a bare 
deck — a number of dark objects, struggling and writhing in 
the water, as at their last grasp ; it was needless and indeed 
impossible for me to extend a helping hand, when it could 
only have afforded them a temporary respite, with aggravated 
suffering, and when my own approaching doom, unless by 
some striking exhibition of Providence, was impressivel}- pic- 
tured before me in their vain struggles. One individual, how- 
ever, was assisted up again on the wreck ; and a solitary body 
was seen lying across the deck, which seemed to me to be 
lifeless ; but it has since occurred to me that it was that of the 
pilot, who, with several others, was saved on a large raft. 

Every wave now told against the shattered hull, and the 
water which filled it heaved up the deck, whilst the planks 



LOSS OF THE ROTHSAY CASTLE. 103 

were rapidly giving way under us. The side plank next the 
railing first split and yawned asunder, and then we sunk with 
the deck to the level of the sea. Another wave sent the 
loose pieces asunder, and immediately I found myself afloat. 
I first caught hold of the extremity of the mast, my feet rest- 
ing on what I supposed to be an iron stanchion, accidentally 
attached to it. Pressing close against me were Jones, the 
steward, and his wife, and I think I heard the cries of a child. 
On looking about, I saw S — and L — close to me. I spoke 
to them, and Avas answered by the latter, that they were on 
some loose pieces of timber. They were sitting on them, 
leaning on one hand. At this moment I perceived the stew- 
ard's wife struggling to keep her hold, and nearly exhausted ; 
whilst her husband was encouraging her to keep up her spi- 
rits. Fearing they might catch hold of me, and finding I had 
not enough of the mast to rest upon, I relinquished it alto- 
gether, and after swimming a few strokes, scrambled upon 
some pieces of timber. There were two persons on the same 
fragments of the wreck, w4iom I supposed to be L — and S — , 
but I did not speak to them. I could perceive eight or nine 
persons on a large raft a little before us, but there was no time 
to look about, as I had continually to prepare myself for the 
waves, which were frequently dashing over me, and to ward 
off loose pieces of the wreck. A blow on the head, from one 
of these masses, had already stunned me for a moment, which 
warned me of this additional danger. Afraid of a repetition, 
I crawled to the end of my raft and clung to a spar. My 
sight became dim with the spray; but I could perceive a 
large wave rolling toward me, bearing on its top an over- 
whelming piece of wreck. I expected momentarily to be 
struck by it: but the water passed harmless over my head. 
I then looked behind me and found I was alone. The same 
piece, perhaps, which passed over me without harm, had 
swept my companions from their places. 

So long as I retained my recollection and consciousness 
distinctly, I was in like manner buffeting the waves. Once 
or twice I raised myself to look for the land, but it seemed 
far from me, and my sight was fast leaving me, till I fell into 
a stupor. I -was not aware of the boat coming up to me, but 
recollect the struggle of scrambling into it. iVly first effort 
was to seize an oar, thinking that I was to aid in the common 
Kifet^r. It was taken from me, however, and I was put in the 
bottom of the boat. One of the men kindly shared with me a 
part of his clothes. On landing, I was able, supported on 



104 LOSS OF THE ROTIISAY CASTLE. 

both sides, to walk up the beach : but my strength failed me, 
and I was carried into the house. I drank freely of the 
spirits and water offered to me, but was almost deprived of 
power and sensation. They stripped me of my wet garments, 
and hurried me into a bed, where I was rapidly restored by 
the judicious means adopted by the good people about me. 
They put jars of hot water to m^ feet and body, and covered 
me up with the clothes : at first, an uncontrolable shivering 
came over me, but I soon fell asleep. An hour afterward I 
awoke, considerably refreshed, though my eyesight was still 
very dim. 

Remarks hy the Rev. William Scoreshy. 

The ample and unaffected details which have been given of 
the personal adventures of one of the few favored individuals 
who safely " passed through the sea," wherein so many fel- 
low-adventurers perished, are sufficient for the illustration 
of the Discourse to which they are now appended, and for 
communicating a general, yet truthful impression of the dread 
calamity. Without, therefore, recapitulating the narrative 
of the catastrophe, I shall proceed with the few particulars 
and observations on the fatal voyage, proposed to be given 
in the outset. 

The Rothsay Castle was one of the steamers employed 
during the summer, for the conveyance of passengers between 
Liverpool, Beaumaris, and Bangor. She was an old vessel, 
originally built for the Clyde ; but recently repaired and plac- 
ed upon the station, under the command of Lieutenant Atkin- 
son. Her capacity is stated at 200 tons, and she was pro- 
pelled by one engine, of about 60 horse power. The voyage 
in which she was thus employed, is usually accomplished in 
six or eight hours — ^the distance between Liverpool and Menai 
Bridge being 5 1 nautical miles. The approach to Beaumaris 
and Bangor is encumbered by an extensive bank — the Leaven 
Sand — almost filling the deep angle formed by the eastern 
promontary of Anglesey, and the western termination of the 
north coast of Wales. Between this sand, however, and the 
Isle of Anglesey, lies the channel of the Menai Strait, com- 
municating in succession with Beaumaris, Bangor, and 
Caernarvon. This strait is approached from Liverpool and 
the north by two passages, or sounds, one on either side of 
Puffin Island, which lies about the middle of the north-eastern 
entrance. From the Welch coast to the north-eastward, the 



LOSS OF THE ROTHSAY CASTLE. 105 

Leaven Sand extends a distance of from four to seven miles, 
terminated by the " Dutchman's Bank," and the " Spit," be- 
tween which is a narrow channel or " Swash." It was upon 
the Spit, which stretches out to within half a mile of Puffin 
Island, and lies about five miles from Beaumaris, where the 
wreck of the Rothsay Castle poured out her hetacomb of hu- 
man victims to the monarch of the grave. 

On this calamitous expedition above 100 passengers (some 
say 130 or 140) embarked along with the crew. These, as to 
the majority, consisted of pleasure parties from various inland 
towns, with only about ten individuals, exclusive of the crew, 
resident in Liverpool. One ill-fated to^\^l, but small in mag- 
nitude, was made to drink deep of the sorrowful cup. Of six- 
and-twenty individuals which that to\^Ti, with its neighborhood, 
sent forth in different joyous parties — it was called to lament, 
in a few brief hours, over twenty-one having passed the bourne 
from whence no traveler returns ! The weather, on this dis- 
tressful occasion, \vas not particularly stormy. It had blown 
hard, indeed, the preceding night, and a brisk gale from the 
N. N. W. with a turbulent head sea, prevailed throughout the 
day. These were the occasion of inconvenience and alarm 
to many of the passengers ; but were, in themselves, neither 
formidable nor dangerous. But, impeded by the united resis- 
tance of wind and sea, and kept back by the returning tide, 
which opposed them within an hour of their starting, the ves- 
sel made but slow progress on the contemplated voyage. Night 
had drawn in before they passed the Great Orme's Head, only 
34 nautical miles from Liverpool. The light, however, w^as 
then sufficient to exhibit this fine promontory in a bold and 
imposing outline. Mrs. Forster, one of the much-lamented 
sufferers, was heard expressing her admiration of the scene, 
and regretting it was not day, that the view, so pleasing in ob- 
scurity, might have been perfectly realized. 

The tide, having turned soon after six o'clock, had for some 
time been in their favor ; but w^hilst it helped them on the one 
hand, by its northwesterly influence, it rendered their progress 
more critical on the other, by the disturbance excited, through 
its windward action, on the previously turbulent sea. The 
vessel, in consequence, began to labor somewhat heavily. Its 
original frame, being probably weak, appears to have strained 
in its connection with recently applied fastenings,— -fastenings 
in themselves, doubtless, strong and effective. Water flowed 
in apace. The coals became wet — the steam got low — ^and, 
as they approached the hoped-for termination of their voyage, 



106 LOSS OF THE ROTHSAY CASTLE. 

there seems to have been hardly power sufficient to contend 
effectively against the sea. Still, however, there was not, ne- 
cessarily, any immediate or alarming danger. Progress con- 
tinued to be made — the tide exerting a favorable influence, 
both as to their furtherance on their course, and in bearing 
them up to windward. The moon, declining in the western 
horizon, revealed, with its departing beams, land on the star- 
board bow. It was Puffin Island — sufficiently defining in the 
dubious light, the entrance to the Beaumaris channel. A cry 
of joy from the anxious passengers on deck proclaimed 
throughout the vessel the cheering tidings. Hope and ani- 
mation now assumed the place of previous alarm and despon- 
dency — feelings which, contrasted with the calamities uncon- 
sciously approaching, rendered the then realized horrors in- 
creasingly appalling 

It is an observable and instructive fact, that many of the 
most distressful dispensations of Providence with which we 
are acquainted, have fallen upon the appointed victims in the 
hours of happy excitement, of elevated enjoyment, or of gid- 
dy, thoughtless revelry, — strikingly fulfilling our Lord's warn- 
ing declaration, that " in such an hour as ye think not, the Son 
of Man cometh !" Well would it be for every adventurer on 
the flowery path-way of pleasure, if this consciousness were 
ever influentially before him ; — it would save him not only 
from the vast calamity of appearing unprepared in the pre- 
sence of a holy and heart-searching God, but it would pre- 
serve him from participation in worldly pleasures, either in 
themselves ungodly, or improper, because untimely. Nor 
would the chastening of our innocent enjoyments be found to 
render them the less gratifjdng ; but, the rather, because, so 
chastened, the more solid and satisfying. 

Whilst, however, we would desire to graft a serious and 
profitable thought upon the particular circumstance before 
us; we mean not to discourage the pursuit of an elevated en- 
joyment among the majestic works of nature and art, or to 
imply that the momentary indulgence of joyful hope among 
the desponding passengers was either untimely or blameable. 
Their joy was natural ; but it proved a temporary gleam, 
which cast the subsequent events more deeply and intensely 
into terrific shade. For soon after this it was, just about the 
midnight hour, when the windward tide had ceased, and the 
violence of the sea had begun to subside, that a violent shock 
proclaimed — though at the moment imperfectly apprehended 
— ^the beginnings of sorrows. But shock succeeded shock, 



LOSS OF THE ROTHSAY CASTLE. 107 

in rapid succession, too clearly declaring the alarming truth, 
that the vessel was on shore ! All was in a moment confusion, 
perplexity, consternation, or despair. 

Doubtless such means as suggested themselves to the mind 
of the captain, as necessary or useful at this period of com- 
mencing peril, were tried ; but, unhappily, he does not seem 
to have availed himself of those resources which an able and 
judicious seaman might have adopted, either for the extrica- 
tion of the vessel from her .perilous condition, or for the pre- 
servation of the passengers entrusted to his charge. Every 
precautionary measure, in the event of the vessel going to 
pieces, was, by some sad infatuation, altogether neglected. 
Unfortunately there was no gun on board to awaken the at- 
tention of others to their peril ; and the simple expedient of 
hoisting a light, which might have proved useful, was unhap- 
pily rejected by the captain. But not only this, but other 
practicable resources were fatally omitted. For, had but a 
few of the slight appendages to female dress — so soon to be- 
come the sport of the waves — ^been set on fire by the light 
burning in the binacle, and thrown blazing upon the wings 
of the wind, a sufficiency of boats might have been drawn to 
the spot, in time, perhaps, for the preservation of a hundred 
lives ! 

At first, no doubt, the captain was in expectation of being 
able to effect his retreat from this perilous position, of which 
the now rising tide afforded a reasonable hope. The chance, 
however, of rendering this hope available, — as in a vessel of 
first-rate strength it would have been, had an anchor been drop- 
ped to Avindward, to which she might swing on the flood — 
was lost : so that as the tide rose, the steamer pressed higher 
and further upon the bank, till, bilged and water-logged, she 
became staked by the weight of her engine and apparatus to 
the sand. Then the work of death began ; and an hour's 
brief space scattered the upper works of the writhing vessel 
to the waves, whilst the chief multitude of the pitiable adven- 
turers were entombed in the watery gulf! And it was marvel- 
lous that any escaped. Buffeted as were the surviving few 
by a turbulent, and, at first, a broken sea; tossed as many of 
them were, — now over the wreck by which agonizingly they 
clung, and then submerged amid the rolling waves ; exposed 
as they were not only to the deluge of waters, but also to 
mortal blows from the heaving wreck around them, — it was a 
wondrous providence that any lived till the dawn, or escaped 
to tell the wondrous tale ! 



108 LOSS OF THE ROTHSAT? CASTLE. 

There might have been a solemn satisfaction in pursuing 
tne melancholy story, as derived from the verbal communica- 
tions of different survivors; and it would have been interest- 
ing to have followed out the personal adventures of each in- 
dividual sufferer. But we draw the veil over the scene of af- 
fliction, and let the personal narrative already given suffice 
as a specimen of the rest. This summary only we add of 
the relative extent of death and preservation ; that whilst un- 
der the painful dispensation of a providence — to us at once 
mysterious and solemnl}'" awakening — above a hundred of our 
fellow-creatures were bereaved of their mortality by a simul- 
taneous stroke, — at the same time, under the good hand of 
the God of heaven, a remnant of one-and-twenty (two of them 
females) were supported through the almost unequalled ad- 
venture, " some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the 
ship ; and so it came to pass that these escaped all safe to 
landi" 

But why was the multitude of unconscious passengers led 
helplessly and unwillingly to try this fatal ordeal of human 
endurance and providential interference? Was it by stress of 
weather — by perplexing darkness — by bewildering fog — or by 
unavoidable accident, that the sad calamity was occasioned ? 
Alas, no ! There w^as nothing in the state of the weather, and 
littJe as to the state of the vessel — indifferent as that is reputed 
to have beeu — that can serve to palliate,. much less to excuse 
the fatal misa'i'/enture. The causes to which this melancholy 
catastrophe are, by popular report, ascribed, need not to be 
mentioned ; and it would have been grateful to Christian feel- 
ing to have passed entirely over the painful investigation ; but 
the interests of the public, and the future safety of our lives, 
demand that the truth, as far as determined by sufficient au- 
thority, should be strongly and plainly told. The only real 
or satisfactory authority which at this time can be referred to, 
is the evidence brought before the coroner, at the inquests 
held at Beaumaris, with the impression produced on the minds 
of the jury by that evidence, as declared in a lettcv handed by 
them to the coroner, after the delivery of their verdict. In 
that letter the jury express " their firm conviction " on these 
two important points, — " that had the Rothsay Castle been a 
seaworthy vessel, and properly manned, this awful calamity 
might have been averted ; and " that the captain and mate" 
'^have been proved, by the evidence brought before them, to 
have been in a state of intoxication !" 

It is painful for me to assist in censuring individuals already 



i 




CAPTAIN PRENTISS, ON CAPE BRETON ISLAND, 

Preserving the lives of his companions who were overpowered hj 
sleep, by reason of the intensity of the cold. — p. 122. 




BLOWING UP OF THE PRINCE, 

A French East India Company's ship, bound from L'Oriewt to Pondi- 
cherny, July 1752— p. 170. 



EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES, &c. 109 

SO severely censured — and who themselves have drank so 
deadly a draught of the same bitter cup in which so many 
participated. But the reservation of a fact, or facts, so strong- 
ly attested, would rather be blamable forbearance than chris- 
tian charity. 

On the first point stated in the letter of the jury, I make 
no remark, as legal investigations are understood to be pend- 
ing, by which the correctness of the declaration may be re- 
futed or established ; but the mere statement of the latter 
particular suggests the melancholy and observable recollec- 
tion, — that three or four of the heaviest calamities of the na- 
ture of that under consideration, with which the coasts of this 
country have of late years been visited, have all been the re- 
sults of this baneful vice of drunkenness ! And whilst three 
or four hundred lives, from this cause alone, have been pre- 
maturely sacrificed in the wrecks of passage vessels, about 
our shores, I am not aware that the accumulated misery from 
explosions of steam-boilers, and all the accidents of the sea, 
within the same period, and in vessels of the class referred 
to, has by any means equalled the same amount ! How im- 
portant then is it to underwriters, merchants and shipowners, 
yea to all "who go doAvn to the sea in ships, and all who do 
business in great waters," — that their captains, before every 
other requisite of character, should be steady, sober men ! 
And what an argument have we, for the promotion of religion 
among seamen, and for a preference in behalf of religious 
captains, in this single fact — that the want of an effectual re- 
ligious principle in the cases referred to, has not only been the 
occasion of such a fearful sacrifice of life, but has added to 
the perils of the sea, and to all the accidents to which steam- 
apparatus is liable, almost a tenfold risk i 



SUFFERINGS AND EXTRAORDINARY ADVEN 
TURES OF FOUR RUSSIAN SAILORS, 

Who were cast away on the Desert Island of East Spitzber- 
gen, in 1743. 

In the year 1 743, Jeremiah Okladmkoff, a merchant of 
Mesen, in the province of Jugoria, and the government of 

10 



110 EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES 

Archangel, fitted out a vessel carrying 14 men. She was des- 
tined for Spitzbergen, to be employed in the whale and seal 
fishery. For eight successive days after they had sailed, the 
wind was fair ; but on the ninth it changed, so that instead of 
getting to the west of Spitzbergen, the usual place of ren- 
dezvous for the Dutch ships and those of other nations annu- 
ally employed in the Avhale fisheries, they were driven east- 
ward of those Islands, and after some days they found them- 
selves at a small distance from one of them, called East Spitz- 
bergen, 

Having approached the island within about three versts, 
or two English miles, their vessel was suddenly surrounded 
by ice, and they found themselves in an extremely dangerous 
situation. In this alarming state a consultation was held, 
when the mate, Alexis Himkofl^, declared he recollected he 
had heard that some of the people of Mesen, having some 
time before formed a resolution of wintering on this island, 
had accordingly carried from that town timber proper for 
building a hut, and had actually erected one at some distance 
from the shore. 

This information induced the whole company to resolve on 
wintering there ; if, as they hoped, the hut still existed ; for 
they clearly perceived the imminent danger in which they 
vvf^re, and that they must inevitably perish if they continued 
in the ship. They therefore, despatched four of the crew in 
search of the hut, or any other succor they could meet with: 
These were Alexis Hirakoff, the mate, Ivan Himkofi*, his 
godson, Stephen Scharapoff, and 'Feodor Weregin. As the 
shore on which they were to land was uninhabited, it was ne- 
cessary that they should make some provision for their expe- 
dition. They had almost two miles to travel over loose bridg- 
es of ice, which being raised by the waves and driven against 
each other by the wind, rendered the way equally difficult and 
dangerous. Prudence, therefore, forbade their loading them- 
selves too much, lest, being overburthened, they might sink 
between the pieces of ice and perish. 

Having thus maturely considered the nature of their un- 
dertaking, they provided themselves with a musket, a powder- 
horn, containing twelve charges of powder, with as many 
balls ; an axe, a small kettle, a bag with about twenty pounds 
of flour, a knife, a tinder-box and tinder, a bladder filled with 
tobacco, and every man his Avooden pipe. Thus ecjuipped, 
these four sailors arrived on the Island, little suspecting the 
misfortune that was about to befall them. The first thing they 



OF FOUR RUSSIAN SAILORS. HI 

did was to explore the country, and soon discovered the hut 
they were in search of, about a mile and a half from the 
shore. It was thirty-six feet in length, eighteen in breadth, 
and as many high. It contained a small anti-chamber, about 
twelve feet broad, which had two doors, one to shut out the 
exterior air, the other to communicate with the inner room. 
This contributed greatly to keep the larger room warm when 
once heated. In the larger room was an earthen stove, con- 
structed in the Russian manner ; that is a kind of oven with- 
out a chimney, which serves occasionally either for baking, 
for heating the room, or, as is customary among the Russian 
peasants in very cold weather, to sleep upon. 

This discovery gave our adventurers great joy. The hut 
had, however, suffered much from the weather, having now 
been built a considerable time. They passed the night in it, 
and early the next morning hastened to the shore, impatient to 
inform their comrades of their success, and also to procure 
provisions, ammunition, and other necessities, as might better 
enable the crew to winter on the island. Their astonishment 
and agony of mind, when, on reaching the place where they 
had landed, they saw nothing but an open sea, free from ice, 
which but the day before had covered the ocean, may more 
easily be conceived than described. A violent storm which 
had arisen during the preceding night had been the cause of 
this disastrous event. But they could not tell whether the 
ice which had before hemmed in the vessel, had been driven 
by the violence of the waves against the ship, and shattered 
her to pieces ; or whether she had been carried out to sea by 
the current, a circumstance which frequently happens in those 
seas. Whatever accident had befallen her, they saw her no 
more; and as no tidings were ever afterward received ol 
her, it is most probable that she sunk, and that all onboard of 
her perished. 

This unfortunate event deprived the wretched mariners of 
all hope of ever being able to quit the island, and they return- 
ed to the hut full of horror and despair. Their first attention 
was employed, as may easily be imagined, in devising the 
means of providing subsistence and repairing their hut. The 
twelve charges of powder which they had brought with them, 
soon procured them as many rein-deer, with which the island 
abounds. 

It has already been observed that the hut discovered by the 
sailors had sustained some damage. There were cracks in 
many places between the boards of the building, which alloW'- 



112 EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES 

ed free admission to the air. This inconvenience was, howe- 
ver, easily remedied; as they had an ax, and the beams were 
still sound, it was an easy matter to make the boards join 
again very tolerably; beside, as moss grew in great abun- 
dance all over the island, there was more than sufficient to fill 
up the crevices, to which wooden houses must always be lia- 
ble. Repairs of this kind cost the unhappy men the less 
trouble, as they were Russians, for all Russian peasants are 
good carpenters, building their own houses, and being, in ge- 
neral, very expert in handling the ax. 

The intense cold which makes those climates habitable to 
so few species of animals, renders them equally unfit for the 
production of vegetables. No species of tree or even shrub 
is found on any of the islands of Spitzbergen, a circumstance 
of the most alarming nature to our sailors. Without fire it 
was impossible to resist the severity of the climate ; and with- 
out wood how was that fire to be produced or supported? 
Providence has, however, so ordered it, that in this particular 
the sea supplies the defects of the land. In wandering along 
the beach they collected plenty of wood, which had been dri- 
ven ashore by the waves. It consisted at first of the wrecks 
of ships, and afterward of whole trees with their roots, the pro- 
duce of some more hospitable, but to them unknown country. 

During the first year of their exile, nothing proved of more 
essential service to these unfortunate men than some boards 
they found on the beach, having a long iron hook, some nails 
about five or six inches in length and proportionably thick, to- 
gether with other pieces of old iron fixed in them, the melan- 
choly relics of some vessel cast away in those remote parts. 
These were thrown on shore by the waves, at a time when the 
want of powder gave our men reason to apprehend that they 
must fell a prey to hunger, as they had nearly consumed the 
rein-deer they had killed. This circumstance v^^as succeeded 
by another equally fortunate ; they found on the shore the 
root of a fir tree, which nearly approached to the figure of 
a bow. 

As necessity has ever been the mother of invention, so with 
the help of a knife they soon converted this root into a good 
bow; but they still wanted a string and arrows. Not know- 
ing how to procure these at present, they resolved upon ma- 
king a couple of lances to defend themselves against the 
white bears, the attacks of which animals, by far the most fe- 
rocious of their kind, they had great reason to dread. Find- 
ing they could neither make the heads of their lances, nor 



OF FOUR RtJSSiAJl SAILORS. Il3 

their arrow without the help of a hammer, the} contrived to 
form the large iron hook mentioned above into one, by heat- 
ing it, and Avidening a hole it happened to have about its mid- 
dle, with the assistance of one of the largest nails. This re- 
ceived the handle, and a round knob at one end of the hook 
served for the face of the hammer. A large stone supplied 
the place of the anvil ; tongs were formed of a couple of rein- 
deer horns. With these tools they made two spear-heads, 
and after polishing and sharpening them on stones, they 
tied them as fast as possible with thongs of rein-deer skin, to 
sticks about the thickness of a man's arm, which they got 
from some branches of trees that had been cast on shore. 
Thus equipped with spears, they resolved to attack a white 
bear ; and after a most dangerous encounter they killed the 
formidable creature, and thus obtained a fresh supply of pro- 
visions. The flesh of this animal they relished exceedingly, 
and they thought it much resembled beef in flavor. They 
perceived, with great pleasure, that the tendons might, with 
little or no trouble, be divided into filaments as fine as they 
pleased. This was perhaps the most fortunate discovery 
these men could have made; for beside other advantages, 
they were thus furnished with strings for their bow. 

The success our unfortunate islanders had experienced in 
making the spears, and the great utility of the latter, encou- 
raged them to proceed, and to forge some piece's of iron into 
heads of arrows of the same shape, though somewhat smaller 
than those of the spears. Having ground and sharpened these 
like the former, they tied them with the sinews of the white 
bears to pieces of fir, to which, by means of sinews also of 
the white bear, they fastened feathers of sea-fowl, and thus 
became possessed of a complete bow and arrows. Their in- 
genuity in this respect was crowned with success far beyond 
their expectation ; for during the time of their continuance 
upon the island they killed with the arrows no less than 250 
rein-deer, beside a great number of blue and white foxes. 
The flesh of these animals served them for food, and their 
skins for clothing and other necessary preservatives against 
the intense cold of a climate so near the pole. 

They, however, killed only ten white bears in all, and these 
not without the utmost danger ; for these animals being prodi- 
giously strong, defended themselves with astonishing vigor 
and fury. The first, they attacked designedly, but fhe other 
nine they killed in their own defence ; for some of these crea- 
tures even ventured to enter the outer room of their hut in order 



114 EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES 

to devour them. All the bears did not, it is true, show an equal 
degree of fury; either because some were less pressed by 
hunger, or were naturally of a less ferocious disposition ; for 
several which entered the hut immediately betook themselves 
to flight on the first attempt of the sailors to drive them away. 
A repetition of the formidable attacks threv/ the men into great 
terror and anxiety, as they were in almost perpetual danger 
of being devoured. The rein-deer, the blue and white foxes, 
and the white bears, were the only food these wretched mari- 
ners tasted during their continuance in that dreary abode. 

In their excursions through the island, they had found near- 
ly at the middle of it a slimy loam, or a kind of clay. Out of 
this they found means to form a utensil to serve for a lamp, 
and they proposed to keep it constantly burning with the fat 
of the animals they might kill. To have been destitute of 
light, in a country where, in winter, darkness reigns for seve- 
ral months together, would have greatly increased their other 
calamities. Having, therefore, fashioned a kind of lamp, they 
filled it with some rein-deer fat, and stuck in it some linen 
twisted in the shape of a wick. But they had the mortifica- 
tion to find that as soon as the fat melted, it not only soaked in- 
to the clay, but fairly ran through it on all sides. It was, there- 
fore, necessary to contrive some method of preventing this in- 
convenience, which did not proceed from cracks, but from the 
substance of which the lamp was made being too porous. 
They made another one, dried it thoroughly in the air, then 
heated it red hot, and afterward quenched it in their kettle, in 
which they had boiled down a quantity of flour to the con- 
sistency of starch. The lamp being then dried and filled with 
melted fat, they now found, to their great joy, that it did not 
leak. But, for greater security, they dipped linen rags in their 
paste, and with them covered it all over on the outside. Hav- 
ing succeeded in this attempt, they immediately made another 
lamp, for fear of accident, that at all events they might not be 
destitute of light; upon which they determined to reserve the 
remainder of their flour for similar purposes. 

As they had carefully collected whatever happened to be 
cast on shore to supply themselves with fael, they had found 
among the wrecks of vessels some cordage and a small quan- 
tity of oakum, Avhich served them to make wicks for their 
lamps. When these stores began to foil, their shirts and 
trowsers were employed to make good the deficiency. By 
these means they kept their lamp burning without intermis- 
sion, from the day they first made it, which was soon after 



OF FOUR RUSSIAN SAILORS. 115 

their arrival on the island, until that of their embarkation for 
their native country. 

The necessity of converting the most essential parts of their 
clothing, such as their shirts and drawers, to the use above 
specified, exposed them the more to the rigor of the climate. 
They also found themselves in want of shoes, boots, and other 
articles of dress ; and as winter was approaching, they were 
again obliged to have recourse to that ingenuity which neces- 
sity suggests, and which seldom fails in the trying hour of 
distress. 

They had abundance of skins of foxes and rein-deer, that 
had hitherto served them for bedding, and which they now 
thought of employing to some more essential service, but they 
were at a loss how to tan them. After some deliberation, they 
resolved to adopt the following method : they soaked the skins 
for several days in fresh water, till they could pull off the 
hair pretty easily ; they then rubbed the wet skin with their 
hands until it was nearly dry, when they spread some melted 
rein-deer fat over it, and again rubbed it well. By this pro- 
cess the leather was rendered soft, pliant and supple, and 
proper for every purpose for which they wanted to employ it. 
Those skins that were designed for fars, they soaked only one 
day to prepare them for being wrought, and then proceeded 
in the manner before mentioned, excepting only that they did 
not remove the hair. Thus they soon provided themselves 
with the necessary materials for all the parts of dress they 
wanted. 

They made a curious needle out of a piece of vdre ; and 
the sinevv^s of the bear and rein>deer, Avhich they split into se- 
veral threads, served them to sew with. 

Excepting an uneasiness, Vv^iich generally accompanies an 
involuntary solitude, these people having thus, by their inge- 
nuity, so far overcome their wants, might have had reason to 
be contented with what Providence had done for them in their 
distressful situation. But that melancholy reflection, to v/hich 
each of these forlorn persons could not help giving wa}^ that 
perhaps he might survive hds companions, and then perish for 
want of subsistence, or bec'ome a prey to the wild beasts, in- 
cessantly disturbed their minds. The mate, Alexis Himkofti 
more paiticnlar-ly suffered ; having left a wife and three chil- 
dren behind, he was deeply afflicted at his separation from 
them. He declared, after his return, that they were con- 
stantly in his mind, and that the thought of never more see- 
ing them rendered him very unhappy. 



116 EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES, &C. 

When our four mariners had passed nearly six years in 
this dreary place, Feodor Weregin, who had from the first 
been in a languid condition, died, after suffering excruciating 
pains during the latter part of his life. Though they were 
relieved by that event from the trouble of attending him, and 
the pain of witnessing without being able to alleviate his mis- 
eiy, yet his death affected them not a little. They saw their 
number diminished, and each of the survivors wished to be 
the next to follow him. 

As he died in winter, they dug a grave in the snow as deep 
as they could, in which they laid the corpse, and then covered 
it to the best of their power, that the white bears might not 
get at it. The melancholy reflections occasioned by the death 
of their comrade were still fresh in their minds, and each ex- 
pected to pay this last duty to his remaining companions in 
misfortune, or to receive it from them, when, on the 15th of 
August, 1749, a Russian ship unexpectedly appeared in sight. 

The vessel belonged to a trader, who had come with it to 
Archangel, intending that it should winter in Nova Zembla; 
but, fortunately for our poor exiles, the director of the whale 
fishery proposed to the merchant to let his ship winter at 
West Spitzbergen, to which, after many objections, he at 
length agreed. 

The contrary Avinds they met with on their passage made 
it nnpossible for them to reach the place of their destination. 
The vessel was driven toward East Spitzbergen, directly op- 
posite to the residence of our mariners, who, as soon as they 
perceived her, hastened to light fires upon the hills nearest 
their habitation, and then ran to the beach, waving a flag 
made of rein-deer's skin, fastened to a pole. Tbe people on 
board perceiving these signals, concluded that there were 
men upon the island who implored their assistance, and there- 
fore came to' an anchor near the shore. It would be in vain 
to attempt to describe the joy of these poor people at seeing 
the moment of their deliverance so near. They soon agreed 
with the master of the ship to work for him during the voyage, 
and to pay him eighty rubles on their arrival, for taking them 
on board with all their riches, Avhich consisted of fifty pud, or 
2000 pounds weight of rein-deer fat ; beside many hides of 
those animals, skins of blue and white foxes, and those of the 
ten white bears they had killed. They took care not to for- 
get their bow and arrows, their spears, their knives, and ax, 
which were almost worn out, their awls and their needles, 
which they carefully kept in a bone box, very ingeniously 



LOSS OF AN. ENGLISH SLOOP. 117 

made with their knives only; and in short every thing they 



Our adventurers arrived safe at Archangel on the 28th of 
September, 1749, having spent six years and three months 
in their dreary solitude. The moment of their landing was 
near proving fatal to the loving and beloved wife of Alexis 
Himkofl^ who being present when the vessel came into port, 
immediately knew her husband, and ran with such eagerness 
to his embrace, that she slipped into the water and very nar- 
rowly escaped being dro\^med. 

All three on their arrival were strong and healthy, but 
having lived so long without bread, they could not reconcile 
themselves to the use of it, and complained that it filled them 
with wind ; nor could they bear any spiritous liquors, and 
therefore never drank any thing but water afterward. 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP 

On the Coast of the Island of Cape Breton, in 1780. 

The man of true courage, even in the most desperate situa- 
tions, invariably finds resources within himself Of this the 
journal of Captain Prenties, of the 84th regiment of foot, af- 
fords the reader a striking example. 

Being charged, says that ofiicer, with the despatches deli- 
vered to me by General Haldimand, commander in chief in 
Canada, for General Clinton, I embarked on the 1 7th of No- 
vember, 1780, in a small sloop bound from Quebec to New- 
York. We set sail in company with a brig destined for the 
same place, and carrying a duplicate of the despatches. Hav- 
ing descended the St. Lawrence to the harbor called St. Pa- 
trick's Hole, we were detained in that port by a contrary 
wind, which continued six days. The winter began to set 
in, and ice, of considerable thickness, was soon formed on the 
banks of the river by the intenseness of the frost. Would to 
heaven it had continued a few days longer ! By absolutely 
preventing us from proceeding it would have saved us those 
misfortunes, the narrative of which begins with that of our 
navigation. 

Before we reached the mouth of the river it was discovered 
that the sloop had sprung a small leak. We had scarcely 



118 LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 



I 



entered the gulf Avhen the ship began to make considerably 
more water, and though two pumps were kept constantly go- 
ing, we still had two feet water in the hold. On the other 
hand, the severity of the frost had increased, and the ice col- 
lected about the ship so as to render us apprehensive of being 
entirely surrounded. We had on board only nineteen persons, 
six of whom w^ere passengers, and the others bad seamen. As 
for the captain, to whom it was natural to look up for assist- 
ance in this predicament, instead of attending to the preserva- 
tion of the ship, he passed his time in getting drunk in his 
cabin, without bestovv^ing a thought upon our safety. 

The wind continued to blow with the same violence, and the 
water having risen in the hold to the height of four feet, cold 
and fatigue produced a general despondency among the crew. 
The seamen unanimously resolved to desist from iheir work. 
They abandoned the pumps, and showed the utmost indiffer- 
ence to their fate, declaring they would rather go to the bot- 
tom with the ship than exhaust themselves by useless labor 
in such a desperate situation. It must be acknowledged, that 
for several days they had undergone excessive fatigue, with- 
out any interval of relaxation. The inactivity of the captain 
had the effect of disheartening them still more. However, by 
encouragement and promises, and by the distribution of wine, 
which I ordered very seasonably to refresh them, I at length 
overcame their reluctance. During the interruption of their 
labor the water had risen another foot in the hold ; but their 
activity had so increased by the warmth of the liquor which I 
gave them every half hour, and they stuck so closely to their 
work, that the water was soon reduced to less than three feet. 

It was now the 3d of December. The wind appeared 
every day to become more violent instead of abating. The 
cracks in the vessel continued to increase, while the ice at- 
tached to her sides augmented her weight and checked her 
progress. It was necessary to keep constantly breaking this 
crust of ice which threatened to envelope the ship. The brig 
by w^hich we were accompanied, so far from being able to 
lend us any assistance, was in a situation still more deplorable, 
having struck upon the rocks near the island of Coudres,* 
through the ignorance of the pilot. A thick snow, which then 
began to fall, concealed her from us. The guns which we 
fired alternately every half hour, formed the whole of our 
correspondence. We soon had the mortification to find that 
our signals were not answered. She perished, together with 

* Jsk des Coudres (Hazel Island.) 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 119 

her crew of sixteen persons, while it was impossible for us 
even to perceive their disaster, or to endeavor to pick them up. 

The pity with which their melancholy fate inspired us was 
soon diverted to ourselves, by the apprehensions of new dan- 
ger. The sea ran very high, the snow fell excessively thick, 
the cold was insupportable, and the whole crew a prey to de- 
jection. Thus situated, the mate exclaimed that we could 
not be far from the Magdalen Islands, a confused heap of 
rocks, some of which raise their heads above the sea, while 
others are concealed beneath the surface of the water, and 
have proved fatal to a great number of vessels. In less than 
two hours we heard the waves breaking with great violence 
upon those rocks, and soon afterward discovered the princi- 
pal island, called the Dead Man, which we with difficulty 
avoided. Our apprehensions of danger were not the less 
alarming, amidst a multitude of rocks which there was little 
probability of escaping with the same good fortune ; as the 
snow, which fell faster than ever, scarcely suffered us to see 
from one end of the ship to the other. It would be difficult 
to describe the consternation and horror with which we were 
seized during the whole of this passage. But when we had 
cleared it, a ray of hope dawned upon the hearts of the sea- 
men, Avho, upon considering the danger they had just escaped, 
no longer doubted the interposition of Providence in their 
favor, and redoubled their efforts with new ardor. 

The sea became more turbulent during the night, and at 
five o'clock the next morning a prodigious wave broke over 
the ship, staved in her ports, and filled the cabin : the impe- 
tuosity of the waves having driven in the stern-post, we en- 
deavored to stop the apertures with beef cut in slices, but this 
feeble expedient proved ineffectual, and the water continued 
to gain upon us more rapidly than ever. The affrighted crew 
had suspended, for a moment, the working of the pumps ; 
when they were about to resume their labors they found them 
frozen so hard that it was impossible to work them afterward. 

From that moment we lost all hope of saving the ship, 
and all our wishes were confined to her keeping above water, 
at least till Ave reached St. John's, or some other island in 
the gulf, where we might be able to land with the aid of our 
boat. 

Being left at the mercy of the wind, we durst not perform 
any manceuvre, for fear of giving some dangerous shock to 
the vessel. The weight of water, which was increasing every 
minute, retarded her progress, and the more rapid waves, 



120 LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 

whose course she checked, returned with fury and broke orer" 
the deck. The cabin, in which we had again taken refuge, 
afforded a feeble protection against the howUng tempest, and 
scarcely sheltered us from the icy waves. We were every 
moment apprehensive of seeing our rudder carried away, and 
our mast go by the board. The gulls and wild ducks which 
hovered around us, testified, it is true, that the land could not 
be far distant ; but the very approach to it was a new subject 
of terror. How were we to escape the breakers with which 
it might be surrounded, unable as we were to avoid, or even 
to perceive them through the cloud of snow in which we were 
enveloped ? Such, for a few hours, was our deplorable situa- 
tion, when the weather having suddenly cleared, we at length 
perceived land at the distance of three leagues. 

The sentiment of joy with which the first sight of it iiv 
spired us was much abated upon a more distinct view of the 
enormous rocks which appeared to rise perpendicularly along 
the coast in order to repel us. The vessel, beside, shipped 
such heavy seas as would have sunk her had she been deep- 
ly laden. At each successive shock we were afraid of seeing 
the ship go to pieces. Our boat was too small to contain the 
whole of the crew, and the sea too rough to trust to such a 
frail support. It appeared as if we had made this fatal land 
only to render it a witness of our loss. 

Meanwhile we continued to approach it. We were not 
above a mile distant, when we discovered with transport, 
around the menacing rocks, a sandy beach, toward which 
our course w^as directed, while the water decreased so fast in 
depth as to prevent our approaching within fifty or sixty yards, 
when the ship struck. The fate of our lives w^as now about 
to be decided in a few minutes. 

At length the vessel struck upon the sand with great vio- 
lence. At the first shock the mainmast went by the board 
and the tiller was unshipped with such force that the bar al- 
most killed one of the seamen. The furious seas Avhich 
dashed against the ship on every side stove in the stern, so 
that having no longer any shelter in the cabin, we w^ere obli- 
ged to go upon deck, and to hold fast by the rigging, for fear 
of being Avashed overboard. In a few minutes the vessel 
righted a little, but the keel was broken, and the body of the 
ship seemed ready to go to pieces. Thus all our hopes were 
reduced to the boat, which I had infinite trouble to get over- 
board, being so covered, within and without, with lumps of 
ice, of which it was necessary to clear her. Most of the 




BURNING OF THE HIBERNIA, 

Bound for Vaa Dieman's Land, with passengers, 
persons lost their lives. — p. 175. 



Upwards of 150 




LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY. 

This vessel was wrecked on Boon Island, near New England, Dec. 
nth. 1710— p. 178. 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 121 

crew having taken wine to endeavor to overcome the fright 
with which they were seized, I gave a glass of brandy to 
those who were sober, and asked if they were willing to em- 
bark with me in the boat for the purpose of getting on shore. 
The sea was so rough that it seemed impossible for our cra- 
zy bark to keep it a moment without being overwhelmed. 
Only the mate, two seamen, and a young passenger, resolved 
to risk themselves in the boat. 

In the first moment of danger I put my despatches in a 
handkerchief, which 1 tied round my waist. Regardless of 
the rest of my property, I seized a hatchet and a saw, and 
threw myself into the boat, followed by the mate and my ser- 
vant, who, more thoughtful than myself, had saved out of my 
box a purse of one hundred and eighty guineas. The pas- 
senger not springing far enough, fell into the sea, and our hands 
were so benumbed with cold as to be almost incapable of af- 
fording him the smallest assistance. When the two seamen 
had got into the boat, those who had most obstinately refused 
to try the same fortune, implored us to receive them ; but 
being apprehensive that we should founder with the weight of 
such a number, I ordered the boat to put off from the vessek ' 
Isoon had occasion to congratulate myself for having stifled 
a sentiment of commiseration which might have proved fatal 
to them. Though the shore was not above fifty yards distant, , 
we were met halfway by a prodigious wave, which half fill- 
ed the boat, and would infallibly have upset her had she been 
more heavily laden. A second wave threw us with violence 
upon the shore. 

The joy to find ourselves at length secure from those dan- 
gers which had so long kept us in the most cruel alarms, caus- 
ed us to forget for a moment that we had only escaped one 
kind of death, probably to endure another more terrible and 
painful. While we embraced each other, in our first trans- 
ports, and congratulated ourselves on our escape, we could 
not but be sensible of the distresses of our companions whom 
we had left on board, and Vv^hose lamentable cries we heard 
amidst the hoarse noise of the waves. What augmented the 
affliction into which we were plunged by this sentiment, was 
our being unable to afford them any kind of assistance. Our 
boat, thrown upon the sand by the angry waves, plainly testi- 
fied the impossibility of her breaking their force and return- 
ing to the vessel. 

Night was fast approaching, and we had not been long 
upon this icy shore when we found ourselves benumbed with 

11 



122 LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 

cold. We were obliged to walk over the snow, which sunk 
under our feet, to the entrance of a little wood, about two hun- 
dred yards from the shore, which sheltered us a little from 
the piercing northwest wind. We yet wanted a fire to warm 
our chilled limbs, and had no means of kindling one. The 
tinder-box which we had taken the precaution to put into the 
boat, had got wet by the last wave that drove us ashore. Ex- 
ercise alone could prevent our being frozen, in keeping our 
blood in circulation. 

Being better acquainted than my companions with the na- 
ture of these severe climates, I recommended to them to keep 
themselves in motion, in order to prevent being overpowered 
by sleep. But the young passenger, whose clothes were 
soaked in the sea-water, and were frozen stiff upon his body, 
was unable to resist the drowsy sensation, always produced 
by the excessive cold, which he experienced. In vain I em- 
ployed, by turns, persuasion and force to make him keep upon 
his legs. I was obliged to leave him to his supineness. Af- 
ter walking about half an hour I was myself seized with such 
a powerful inclination to sleep, that I felt myself ready every 
moment to sink to the ground in order to gratify it, till I re- 
turned to the place where the young man lay. I put my 
hand to hrs face and found it quite cold, when I desired the 
mate to feel it. We both conceived him to be dead. He re- 
plied, with a feeble voice, that he was not, but that he felt his 
end approaching, and entreated me, if I survived, to write to 
his father at New-York, and inform him of his fate. In ten 
minutes we saw him expire, without any pain, or at least 
■without strong convulsions. I relate this incident to show 
the effect of violent cold on the human body during sleep, 
and to show that this kind of death is not always accompani- 
ed with a sensation of such excessive pain as is generally 
supposed. 

This dreadful lesson was incapable of inducing the others 
to resist the inclination to sleep by which they were attacked. 
Three of them lay down in spite of my exhortations. Seeing 
that it was impossible to keep them on their legs, I went and 
cut two branches of trees, one of which I gave to the mate, 
and my whole employment, during the remainder of the night, 
was to prevent my companions from sleeping, by striking 
them as soon as they closed their eyes. This exercise was 
of benefit to ourselves, at the same time that it preserved the 
others from danger of almost certain death. 

Day-light, which we awaited with such impatience, at 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 123 

length appeared. I ran to the shore with the mate to en- 
deavor to discover some vestige of the ship, though we had 
very little hope of finding any. What was our surprise and 
our satisfaction to see that she had held together, notwith- 
standing the violence of the wind, which seemed strong 
enough to dash her into a thousand pieces during the night' 
The first thing I did was to contrive how to get the remain- 
der of the crew on shore. The vessel, since we quitted her, 
had been driven by the waves much nearer the shore, and the 
distance by which she was separated from it, I knew, must be 
much less at low v\^ater. When it was come, I called out to 
the people in the ship to tie a rope to her side and let them- 
selves dowTi one after another. They adopted this expedient. 
Watching attentively the motion of the sea, and seizing the 
opportunity of dropping at the moment when the waves retir- 
ed, they all got on shore without danger, excepting the car- 
penter. He did not think proper to trust himself in that man- 
ner, or probably was unable to stir, having used his bottle ra- 
ther too freely during the night. The general safety was at- 
tached to that of each individual, and I doubly rejoiced to see 
around me such a number of my companions in misfortune, 
whom I imagined to be swallowed up by the waves but a few 
hours before. 

The captain, before he left the ship, fortunately provided 
himself with all the materials for lighting a fire. The com- 
pany then proceeded toward the forest : some fell to work 
to cut wood, others to collect the dry branches scattered on 
the ground, and soon a bright flame, rising from a large pile, 
produced a thousand acclamations of joy. Considering the 
extreme cold which we had so long endured, no enjoyment 
could equal that of a good fire. We crowded around it as 
closely as possible to revive our benumbed limbs. But this 
enjoyment was succeeded, in general, by excruciating pain, 
as soon as the heat of the fire penetrated into those parts of 
the body which had been bitten by the frost. The mate and 
myself were the only exceptions, on account of the exercise 
we had taken during the night. All the others had been more 
or less attacked, both in the ship and on shore. The convul- 
sive movements produced in our unfortunate companions, by 
the violence of the torments they endured, would be too hor- 
rible for description. 

When we came to'make a review of our company, I obser- 
ved that Captain Green, a passenger, was missing. I was in- 
formed that he had fallen asleep in the ship, and had frozen to 



124 LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 

death. Our anxiety was renewed on account of the carpea- 
ter, who was left behind. The sea continuing to roll with un- 
abated fury, so that it was impossible to send the boat to his 
relief, we were obliged to wait the return of low water ; when 
we at length persuaded him to come on shore in the same 
manner as the others ; which he did with extreme difficulty, 
being reduced to a state of the utmost weakness, and frozen in 
almost every part of his body. 

Night arrived, and we spent it rather more comfortably than 
the preceding. Yet, notwithstanding we were careful to keep 
np a large fire, we suffered considerably from the sharpness 
of the wind, against which we had no shelter. The trees 
were scarcely sufficient to protect us from the snow, which 
fell in immense flakes, as if to extinguish our fire. While it 
soaked through our clothes on the side exposed to the fire, on 
our backs it formed a heap which we were obliged to shake 
off before it froze into ice. The craving sensation of hunger, 
a new hardship that we had been hitherto unacquainted with, 
was now added to that of cold, which we had so much difficul- 
ty to endure. 

Two days elapsed, every moment of which added to the 
painful recollection of our past misfortunes, the terror of a 
still more distressing futurity. At length the wind and the 
sea, which had combined to prevent us from approaching the 
Tessel, redoubled their united efforts to destroy her. We 
were apprised of her fate by the noise of her breaking up. 
We ran toward the shore, and saw part of the cargo already 
floating, which the impetuosity of the waves washed through 
the opens of her sides. Fortunately the tide carried part of 
the wreck upon the beach. Providing ourselves with long 
poles,and the oars of our boat, we proceeded along the sand, 
drawing on shore whatever was most useful within our reach. 
It was thus we saved a few casks of salt beef^ and a conside- 
rable quantity of onions, which the captain had taken onboard 
to sell. Our attention was likewise directed to the planks 
that were detached from the vessel, and which might prove 
serviceable to us in constructing a hut. We collected a great 
number, which we dragged into the wood, to be immediately 
employed for the above mentioned purpose. This was no 
easy undertaking, as few of us were able to go to work upon 
It. Our success this day, however, inspired us with courage, 
and the food we had procured supporting our strength, the 
work had advanced considerably by the close of day. The 
light of our fire enabled us to continue it till after dark, and 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 125 

by ten o'clock at night we had a hut twenty feet long, ten 
broad, and sufficiently solid, thanks to the trees which support- 
ed it at certain distances, to withstand the force of the wind, 
but not close enough to shelter us entirely from the cold. 

The two succeeding days were employed either in complet- 
ing our edifice, collecting during high water what the tide 
brought from the ship, or in taking an account of our provi- 
sions in order to establish the proportion in which they ought 
to be distributed. We had not been able to save any biscuit 
which was not thoroughly soaked with sea water. It was 
agreed that each person, well or ill, should be confined to a 
quarter of a pound of beef and four onions a day, as long as 
they lasted. This scanty pittance, scarcely sufficient to keep 
us alive, was all that we could allow ourselves, uncertain what 
time we might be obliged to spend on this desert coast. 

The 1 Itli of December, the sixth day after our shipwreck, 
the wind abated, so as to allow us to get the boat afloat, to go 
and seek what was left in the wreck. Great part of the day 
was lost in cutting away, with the hatchet, the thick ice which 
covered the deck and stopped up the hatchways. The next 
day we succeeded in getting out a small barrel, containing 
one hundred and twenty pounds of salt beef, two chests of 
onions, one of potatoes, three bottles of balsam of Canada, 
one of oil, which became exceedingly serviceable for the 
wounds of the seamen ; another hatchet, a large iron pot, two 
stew-pans, and about a dozen pounds of candles. This pre- 
cious cargo enabled us the following day to add four onions 
to our daily allowance. 

We returned again on board on the 14th, to look for the 
sails, part of which served to cover our hut, and to keep out 
the snow. The same day the wounds of those who had suf- 
fered most from the frost, and had neglected to rub them with 
snow, began to mortify. The skin came off their legs, their 
hands, and the parts of their limbs affected by the frost, with 
excessive pain. The carpenter, who was the last that came 
on shore, lost the graatest part of his feet, and in the night 
of the 14th became delirious, in which state he continued till 
the next day, when death relieved him from his miserable ex- 
istence. Three days afterward our second mate died in the 
same manner, having been delirious several hours before he 
expired ; and a seaman experienced the same fate the follow- 
ing day. We covered their bodies with snow and the branch- 
es of trees, having neither pickax nor spade to dig them a 
grave ; and if we had even been provided with them, the earth 



126 LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP* 

was frozen too hard and too deep to yield to those instru- 
ments. 

All these losses, which reduced our company to fourteen 
persons, gave us but little concern, either on their account or 
on our own. Upon considering our dreadful situation, death 
appeared rather a blessing than a misfortune ; and when a 
sentiment of nature revived Avithin us the love of life, each 
individual regarded his companions as so many enemies 
armed by hunger to deprive him of his subsistence. In fact, if 
some had not paid the debt of nature, we should soon have 
been reduced to the horrible necessity of perishing of hunger, 
or of murdering and devouring each other. Without being 
brought to this dreadful alternative, our situation was so mis- 
erable that it seemed impossible for any new calamity to be 
capable of augmenting its horrors. The continual sensation 
of excessive cold and pressing hunger, the pain of the frost 
wounds irritated by the fire, the complaints of the sufferers, 
the neglect and filth which rendered us objects of disgust both 
to ourselves and others, all the images of despair collected 
around us, and the prospect of a slow and painful death, in 
the midst of a desolate region, far from the consolations of 
relatives and friends ; such is an imperfect representation of 
the pangs our minds endured every moment of the tedious 
days and eternal nights. 

The mate and I often went abroad to see if vre could disco- 
ver any vestiges of habitations in the country. Our excur- 
sions were not long nor attended with any success. We re- 
solved, one day, to penetrate farther into the country, keeping 
along the banks of a frozen river. We observed, from time 
to time, traces of elks and other animals, which caused us. 
sincerely to regret being unprovided with arms and powder to 
shoot them. A ray of hope, for a moment, illumined our 
minds. Following the direction of some trees, cut on the 
sides with a hatchet, we arrived at a place where some Indians 
must shortly have resided, since their wigwam was still stand- 
ing, and the bark employed for that purpose appeared quite 
fresh ; an elk's skin, which we found very near, suspended 
from a pole, confirmed our conjectures. We anxiously tra- 
versed all the adjacent country, but, alas ! without success. 
We, however, derived some satisfaction from reflecting that 
this place had had inhabitants or visitors, and that they might 
soon return. Struck with this idea, I cut a long pole, which 
I stuck upright on the bank of the river, fastening it to a piece 
of birch bark, after cutting it into the figure of a hand, with 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 127 

the fore-finger extending and turned toward our hut. I like- 
wise took away the elk's skin, in order that the savages at 
their return might perceive that somebody had passed by the 
place since they left it, and might by the aid of the sign 
discover the route they had taken. The approach of the 
night obliged us to return to our habitation, and we doubled 
our pace to communicate that agreeable news to our com- 
panions. However feeble were the hopes we could reason- 
ably allow ourselves to entertain from this discovery, I per- 
ceived that my narrative afforded them considerable consola- 
tion ; so strongly does the kind instinct of nature impel the 
unhappy to seize upon whatever is capable of alleviating the 
sensation of their misery. 

Several days elapsed in hope of seeing the Indians appear 
every moment before our hut. These sweet ideas gradually 
lost ground, and soon vanished. Some of our sick, and among 
the rest the captain, had in this interval begun to recover 
their strength, and our provisions were fast decreasing. I 
mentioned the design I had formed of quitting the habitation 
with all those who were capable of working the boat, to re- 
connoitre the coast. This plan received universal approba- 
tion ; but when we came to think of the means of executing 
it, a new difficulty presented itself This was how to repair 
the boat, which had been dashed by the sea upon the sand 
with such fury that all her joints had opened. We had plen 
ty of tow for stopping the apertures, but unfortunately were 
in want of pitch to cover it. And how could we supply this 
deficiency? We could not think of any method, when it 
struck me all at once that we might employ the balsam of 
Canada which we had saved. It was easy to try ; I emptied 

few bottles of it into our iron pot and set it on a large fire ; 
taking ijt ofi' frequently to let it cool, I soon reduced the liquor 
to a proper consistence. During this time my companions 
had turned the boat and cleared her of sand and ice. I di- 
rected the crevices to be stopped with tow, caulked her with 
the balsam, and I had the pleasure of seeing that it produced 
the effect to admiration. 

This first success inspired us with a new ardor to continue 
our preparations. A piece of cloth fastened to a pole in such 
a manner as to be raised or lowered at pleasure, promised us 
a sail strong enough to relieve, with a gentle and favorable 
wind, the labor of the rowers. Among the crew few had suf- 
ficiently recovered to support the fatigues which we foresaw 
would attend this expedition. I was chosen to conduct ii, to- 



128 LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 

gether with the captain, the mate, two seamen, and my ser- 
vant. The remainder of the provisions was divided accord- 
ing to the number of persons, into fourteen equal shares, with- 
out reserving, on account of the excessive labor we were 
about to undertake, a larger proportion for ourselves than was 
allotted to those who were to remain quietly in the hut. 

With this wretched allowance of a quarter of a pound of 
beef a day, for six weeks, with a crazy boat covered with a 
matter on which we could not depend, which the least breath 
of wind might upset, and the smallest rook dash to pieces, it 
was that we had to attempt an enterprize, the plan of which 
could have been inspired by blind despair alone. But we 
were at that point, that there was less temerity in braving 
every possible danger with the feeblest ray of hope, than in 
exposing ourselves, by cowardly inactivity, to the almost ine- 
vitable danger of perishing, abandoned by all nature. 

The year 1781 had just commenced. It Vv^as our intention 
to set off the second of January, but a furious northwest wind 
detained us till the afternoon of the fourth. Its violence having 
then abated, we carried on board our provisions, together with 
a few pounds of candles, and all the little articles that might 
be of service to us, and took leave of our companions, in the 
cruel uncertainty whether this might not be out last farewell. 
We had not proceeded above eight miles, when the wind turn- 
ing to the southeast, checked our progress and obliged us to 
make Avith our oars toward a large bay, which offered us a 
favorable asylum for the night. 

Our first care was to land our provisions and to remove the 
boat far enough upon the beach to prevent her being damaged 
by the sea. We were then obliged to kindle a fire and to cut 
wood to keep it up till the next morning. The smallest pine 
branches were employed in forming our bed, and the largest 
in hastily erecting a kind of wigwam, to secure ourselves as 
well as possible from the severity of the weather. 

In. taking our scanty repast I observed on the shore several 
pieces of wood thrown upon it by the tide, and Avhich appear- 
ed to have been cut with a hatchet. I likewise saw some 
poles formed long since by the hand of man, but we could not 
discover any marks of inhabitants. At the distance of two 
miles was a hill bare of trees, with some appearance of its 
having been cleared. I prevailed on two of my companions 
to accompany me thither before dark, that from its summit 
we might embrace a more extensive horizon. As we pro- 
ceeded along the bay we saw a Newfoundland fishing-boat, 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 129 

half burned and the remaining part in the sand. This object 
afforded us fresh hopes, and we doubled our efforts to climb 
the hill. Having arrived at the summit, how great was our 
satisfaction to perceive some buildings on the other side of it, 
at the distance of a mile at farthest. Notwithstanding our fa- 
tigue, the interval which separated us from them was soon 
gone over. We arrived palpitating with hope and joy, but 
those pleasing emotions were instantly dissipated. In vain 
we traversed all the buildings ; they were deserted. They 
had been erected for the preparation of cod, and, according 
to all appearance, had been abandoned several years before. 
The sad termination of this excursion tended, however, to con- 
firm us in the idea that we should find some habitations by 
continuing our course round the island. 

The wind, which had again shifted to the northwest, de- 
tained us the next day, fearing to encounter the ice, which it 
drifted in great quantities. For three days it continued with 
the same fury. Having awaked in the night, I was astonished 
to hear its shrill whistling, not accompanied, as usual, by the 
hoarse noise of the waves. I called the "mate, and informed 
him of this phenomenon. Being curious to ascertain the cause, 
we ran toward the shore, the moon's rays affording us light. 
As far as the eye could reach, their fatal lustre enabled us to 
perceive the surface of the water motionless beneath the chains 
of ice, which was piled up, in different places, in heaps of pro- 
digious height. It is impossible to describe the sensation of 
despondency which overwhelmed our minds at this sight — 
unable to proceed farther on our expedition, or to return to 
our former cabin, which would have defended us better from 
the redoubled severity of the cold ! How long were we to 
continue in this dreadful situation 1 

Two days elapsed amidst these gloomy reflections. At 
length, on the 9th, the wind abated. It shifted the following 
day to the southeast, and blew with such violence that all the 
ice by which we were blocked up in the bay was broken to 
pieces with a great noise, and driven out into the open sea, 
so that by four o'clock in the afternoon there was none left, ex- 
cepting along the shore. 

In breaking the chains that detained us, the tyrant of the 
air forged others for us by violence. It was not till after two 
days that the wind abated. A light breeze blowing along the 
shore, our boat was launched and the sail hoisted. We were 
already proceeding with a favorable course, when at several 
leagues distant we perceived an extremely elevated point of 



130 LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 

land. The coast to that place appeared to form such a con- 
tinued chain of steep rocks that it was impossible to attempt 
a landing before we had doubled the distant cape. It would, 
however, have been dangerous to risk so long a course. The 
boat had sprung a leak, and two men Avere constantly em- 
ployed in bailing out the water, so that we could use but two 
oars ; and the enfeebled state to which we were reduced by 
disappointment and the want of food, scarcely allowed us to 
support that slight exertion. What was to become of us if the 
wind should turn to the northwest? We must infallibly be 
dashed to pieces against the rocks. 

Fortunately the danger was no longer an object worthy of 
our consideration, and the wind seconded our perseverance so 
well, that we arrived at the cape about eleven o'clock at night. 
The place not being convenient for a landing, we were obliged 
to coast along till two in the morning, when the wind becom- 
ing more violent deprived us of the liberty of choosing a fa- 
vorable spot ; we were obliged to descend upon, or rather to 
climb, with the utmost difficulty, up a rocky shore, without its ' 
being possible for us to secure'our boat from the waves, which 
threatened her with destruction. 

The place where we had landed was a bay of no great 
depth, surrounded on the land side by inaccessible heights, 
but exposed toward the sea to the northwest wind, from 
w^hich nothing could protect us. The wind, which rose on the 
13th, threw our boat upon a ledge of the rocks and damaged 
her in several places. This accident was but a trifling pre- 
lude to new sufferings. Surrounded by insurmountable rocks, 
which prevented us from seeking shelter in the woods ; with- 
out any other covering than our sail, stiff with ice ; buried 
for several days beneath a deluge of snow, which was heaped 
around us to the height of three feet ; we had nothing to keep 
up our fire but the branches and fragments of trunks of trees, 
thrown by accident upon the shore. This deplorable situa- 
tion lasted till the 21st, when the weather grew milder, but 
we were not able to take advantage of it. How were we to 
repair our boat, which had opened in several places ? After 
reflecting on the various methods that presented themselves 
to our minds, and rejecting them as impracticable, all our 
thoughts were directed to seek our preservation in another 
quarter. 

Though it was impossible to scale the Avails of rocks which 
surrounded us on every side, and Ave Avere under the neces- 
sity of renouncing our boat, it came into our minds that wq 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 131 

might proceed along the shore, by walking upon the ice, 
which had acquired sufficient strength to bear our weight. 
The mate and I resolved to make the experiment. We set 
off immediately, and proceeding a few miles, arrived at the 
mouth of a river bordered by a sandy beach, where we might 
have preserved our boat and lived much less uncomfortably, 
had our good fortune first conducted us thither. This dis- 
covery, while it occasioned regret, did not tend to increase 
our hopes. It was, indeed, easy to penetrate into the woods ; 
but could we wander at random in a savage country, in 
quest of an inhabited district 1 How were we to direct our 
course through the black gloom of the forest 1 and above all, 
how were we to get along through the snow, with which the 
earth was covered to the height of six feet, and which might 
be melted by the first thaw ? 

After consulting together on the subject of our return, it 
was agreed that we had no other resource than to carry on 
our backs the remainder of our provisions and useful effects, 
and to proceed along the coast, where it was most natural to 
expect to find any families of fishermen or savages. The 
weather seemed still inclined to frost, and the wind having 
swept into the sea the greatest part of the snov/ which cover- 
ed the ice upon the coast, we flattered ourselves that we 
should walk ten miles a day even in spite of the langour and 
debility into which we had fallen. 

This resolution being unanimously adopted, we had soon 
completed the necessary preparations. We intended to set 
off on the morning of the 24th, but in the night which pre- 
ceded it, the wind suddenly shifted to the southeast, accompa- 
nied with heavy rain ; so that in a few hours this crust of 
snow, which the day before appeared so solid, was entirely 
dissolved, and the ice detached from the shore. We had now 
no way of escaping from tbis disastrous shore on which we 
were confined. During these painful reflections our eyes 
were directed toward the boat, which we had frequently 
been tempted to break up m order to supply our fire, as we 
could not. expect to render her serviceable again. We still 
had tow sufficient to stow the crevices, but the balsam of 
Canada had been totally exhausted by our daily repairs, and 
we were unable to contrive any substitute for it. 

The frost, however, returned the next day. Its severity 
caused me, during the night, to conceive an idea, which I has- 
tened to put in execution as soon as daylight appeared. This 
was, to pour water upon the tow with which the crevices were 



132 LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 

filled, and to let it freeze like a coating to a certain thickness. 
My companions laughed at my scheme, and could not, without 
reluctance, be prevailed upon to assist me. But this simple 
method succeeded beyond my hopes ; all the apertures were 
so well closed that they were at length convinced that no 
water could penetrate through them as long as the frost con- 
tinued to be equally severe. 

We made a successful trial of it on the 27th. Though the 
boat became heavy and difficult to be managed, by the quan- 
tity of ice with which it was covered, yet in the course of the 
day she proceeded twelve miles from the place of our depar- 
ture. This new service rendered her more valuable in our eyes, 
and we took care to remove her on our oars to a place more 
favorable to her security, A thick forest, situated near the 
spot, afforded us two advantages, of which we had been de- 
prived for so many nights ; a slight shelter against the pierc- 
ing wind, and an abundance of wood to keep up a great fire, 
which warmed us while we slept. This two-fold enjoyment 
was to us the height of pleasure. Our stock of finder being 
almost consumed, I was obliged to renew it by burning a piece * 
of my shirt, the same that I had worn ever since the loss of 
my effects. 

The following day a deluge of rain unfortunately melted all 
the ice from our boat, and we had the mortification to lose 
the advantage of a fine day, which might probably have for- 
warded us several miles on our way. We resolved to wait 
the return of the frost ; and what augmented our impatience 
and regret, was, that our provisions were now reduced to two 
pounds and an half of beef to each man. 

The frost not returning till the afternoon of the 29th, the 
delay unavoidably occasioned by our preparations prevented 
us from proceeding above seven miles before night. The suc- 
ceeding day a very heavy gale, which surprised us at the be- 
ginning of our route, obliged us to land before we had gone 
more than two leagues. The thaw kept us on shore till the 
day after the next, the 1st of February, when an intense frost 
affi)rded us an opportunity of repairing our boat. But the 
pieces of floating ice were so large, that they constantly em- 
ployed one of us to break them with a pole; and it was not 
without the most fatiguing exertions that we proceeded five 
miles before the close of day. 

Our navigation was more fortunate on the 3d. The wind 
blew in a direction as favorable as we could wish. Though 
the boat made some water, which employed part of our hands 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 133 

in bailing out, we at first ran four miles an hour with the as- 
sistance of our oars, and soon afterward five with our only- 
sail. About two o'clock in the afternoon we were full in 
view of an elevated cape, which we calculated to be only- 
three leagues off But its prodigious height deceived us with 
regard to its distance, for it was almost dark before we reached 
it. After doubling it, our course took a different direction from 
what it had done, so that we were obliged to lower our sail and 
to take to our oars. The wind then began to blow from the 
shore. Our efforts to make head against it were very feeble, 
and had it not been for a current from the northeast, which 
assisted us to make some opposition, we should have run the 
risk of being carried irrecoverably into the open sea. 

The coast being lined with rocks, was here too dangerous 
to attempt to land ; we were obliged to row along the rocks, 
amidst a thousand dangers, in the dark, till five o'clock in the 
morning. Being then incapable, from our exhausted state, of 
any longer exertion, our eyes were shut to the dangers of 
landing, and heaven crowned our attempt with success, with- 
out any other accident than having our boat thrown, half full 
of water, upon the shore. The beginning of the wood was 
at no great distance, yet we had great difficulty to crawl to it, 
and make a fire to thaw our limbs and dry our clothes. 

Such, was the drowsiness into which fatigue and watching 
had plunged us, that it was impossible to refrain from sleep 
when our fire began to light. We were obliged to rouse each 
other alternately in order to keep it up, fearing lest it should 
go out while we were all together asleep, and we should be 
frozen to death in this lethargic state. 

When I awoke I had occasion to convince myself, by the 
observations I made on shore, of the truth of what I had sus- 
pected by the way, namely, that the elevated point of land 
which we had just doubled was Cape North, in the island of 
Cape Breton, which, with Cape Roi on the island of New- 
foundland, marks the entrance of the gulf of St. Lawrence. 

The pleasing certainty that we were on an inhabited island 
would have flattered us with the hope of at last meeting with 
assistance by continuing our voyage, if we had had any thing 
to subsist upon during the time that it might last. Our pro- 
visions were nearly exhausted, and this prospect filled us Avith 
despair. Nothing but ideas of a speedy death, or the most 
horrible means of deferring it, presented themselves to our 
minds. When we cast our eyes upon one another, each seem- 
ed read}'' to point out the victim whom it was necessary to 

12 



1 



134 LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 

sacrifice to the hunger of his executioners. Some of us had 
already agreed to commit the selection of the object to the 
blind decision of the lot. Fortunately the execution of this 
dreadful design was deferred till the last extremity. 

While my companions were employed in clearing the boat 
of the sand with which the tide had filled her, and in stopping 
the crevices by pouring water upon the tow and leaving it to 
freeze, I walked along the shore with the mate in quest of 
oysters, of which we perceived a great quantity of shells scat- 
tered up and down. Unfortunately none of them were full. 
We should have considered it the height of good fortune to 
have met with some carcasses of wild beasts half devoured 
by birds of prey; but all these were now buried under the 
snow; there was nothing that could afford us even the vilest 
food. It was not sufficient that fate should have thrown us 
upon a desert coast, but to crown our misery, it had chosen 
the most dreadful season, when not only the earth refused its 
productions for our subsistence, but likewise when the ani- 
mals inhabiting the two elements which nourish mankind had 
fled to their retreats to preserve themselves from the intense 
cold which desolates these inhospitable climates. 

I should be afraid to excite too painful sensations in those 
minds which our situation till the present moment has in- 
spired with tender com.passion, if I were to paint in all their 
horror the miseries we had to suffer during the following days. 
Reduced for oar only nourishment to dry fruits of sweet brier, 
dug up from beneath the snow, and a few tallow candles, 
which we had reserved for a last resource; oppressed with 
fatigue at the least exertion ; checked in our navigation by 
the ice, the rain, or the winds ; som.etim.es animated with a 
faint hope, to be plunged soon afterward in the abyss of de- 
spair ; overwhelmed with the painful sensations of all these 
distresses combined to crush us with their insupportable 
Aveight every moment both of the day and of the night; such 
was our state till the 17th, when, completely exhausted, we 
landed for the last time, resolved to perish on the spot if hea- 
ven should not send us some unexpected relief. To place our 
boat in safety on the beach would have been an undertaking 
too far beyond our. power. She was abandoned to the fury 
of the waves after we had sorrowfully taken out our imple- 
ments and sail which served to cover us. Our first efforts 
were employed in clearing the snow from the spot we had 
fixed upon, to raise ]t all round in a sloping direction, for the 
purpose of fixing in it branches of trees, intended to form a 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 135 

shelter ; lastly, in cutting and piling as much wood as possible 
to keep up a fire, fearing lest we should soon be unable to use 
our instruments. 

A few handsful of hips, boiled in snow water, were, during 
the first days, the sole support of our miserable lives. These 
began to fail us, and we thought ourselves fortunate in being 
able to supply their place with the marine plants which grew 
along the shore. After boiling them several hours, during 
which they lost little of their hardness, I put into the liquor 
one of the only two candles we had left. This disgusting- 
broth and the tough plants at first appeased our hunger, but 
in a few moments Ave were seized with a terrible retching, 
without having sufficient force to be able to clear our stom- 
achs. This crisis lasted about four hours, after which we 
were somewhat relieved, but fell into a state of absolute de- 
bility. 

We were, however, obliged the next day to have recourse 
to the same nourishment, which operated as before, only with 
rather less violence ; for this purpose we had used our last 
candle. We were compelled for three days to be contented 
with the hard tough plants, which made us retch every mouth- 
ful we took. At the same time our legs began to swell, and 
our whole bodies became so bloated, that notwithstanding the 
little flesh we had left, our fingers, with the smallest pressure 
upon our skin, sunk to the depth of an inch, and the impres- 
sion remained an hour afterward. Our eyes appeared as if bu- 
ried in deep cavities. Benumbed by the internal dissolution 
of our blood and by the intense cold we endured, we had 
scarcely strength to crawl by turns and revive our almost ex- 
tinguished fire, or to collect a few branches scattered upon the 
snow. 

It was then that the remembrance of my father, which had 
attended me amidst the greatest dangers, combined with the 
idea of my death to fill my heart with unusual emotion. I 
represented to myself that tender parent at first uneasy on my 
account, anxiously expecting to hear from me; afterward 
overwhelmed with grief at seeing the time elapse without 
receiving any intelligence ; and at last condemned to bewail 
the loss of his son during all the days of his old age. I wept 
myself at the thought of dying so far from his embrace with- 
out receiving his benediction. These afiecting ideas, inter- 
rupted by the groans uttered around me, were succeeded by 
barbarous projects with which the natural instinct of life in- 
spired me for support. The wretched companions of my mis- 



136 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 



fortunes, whose exertions had hitherto assisted me, now ap- 
peared only to be a prey to satisfy my hunger ; and I read the 
same sentiment in their greedy looks. 

I know not whither these ferocious dispositions would have 
led us, when suddenly the accents of a human voice were 
heard in the forest. At the same instant we discovered two 
Indians armed with muskets, Vvho did not appear to have yet 
perceived us. This sudden appearance reviving our courage, 
gave us strength to rise and advance toward them with all 
the despatch we were able. 

As soon as they saw us they stopped, as if their feet had 
been nailed to the ground. They looked steadfastly at us, mo- 
tionless with surprise and horror. Beside the astonishment 
that must naturally have been excited in them at the unexpect- 
ed meeting with six strangers in a desert corner of the island, 
our appearance alone was sufficient to shock the most intrepid. 
Our clothes hanging in rags, our eyes concealed by the bloated 
prominence of our livid cheeks, the monstrous bulk to which 
all our limbs were swelled, our long and shaggy beards, our 
hair flowing in disorder down our shoulders, must, altogether, 
have given us a frightful appearance. However, as we ad- 
vanced, a thousand agreeable sensations were displayed in our 
countenances : some shed tears and others laughed for joy. 
Though these peaceable signs were calculated in some de- 
gree to move the fears of the Indians, they did not yet mani- 
fest the least inclination to approach us, and certainly the dis- 
gust which our whole figure must have produced sufficiently 
justified their coldness. I therefore resolved to advance to- 
ward him who was nearest to me, holding out one hand to 
him in a supplicating attitude. He seized it and gave it a 
hearty shake, which is the mode of salutation usual among 
these savages. 

They then began to manifest some marks of compassion. 
I made a sign to them to come toward our fire ; they accom- 
panied us in silence and sat down near us. One of them, 
who spoke bad French, begged us, in that language, to inform 
them whence we came, and what accident had conducted us 
to that spot. I hastened to give him as brief an account as 
possible of th« misfortunes and sufferings we had experienced. 
As he seemed to be deeply affected by my narrative, i asked 
him if he could furnish us with any provisions. He replied 
in the affirmative ; but seeing that our fire was almost out, he 
rose abruptly and seized our hatchet, at which he looked for a 
moment smiling, as I imagined, at the bad condition in which 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 137 

it was. He threw it down with a look of disdain, and took 
that which was by his side. In a moment he had cut a great 
quantity of branches, which he threw upon our fire ; he then 
took up his musket, and without saying a word, went away 
with his companion. 

• Such a sudden retreat might have given uneasiness to per- 
sons unacquainted with the humor of the Indians ; but I knew 
that these people seldom speak but when they see an abso- 
lute necessity for it. I did not, therefore, doubt but that they 
were gone to fetch us provisions, and assured my alarmed 
comrades that we should not be long before we saw them 
again. Notwithstanding the distress in which we were for 
food, hunger was not, at least with me, the most pressing 
want. The good fire which the savages had made crowned, 
at that moment, all my desires, having passed so many days 
of suffering from intense cold, near the feeble flame of our 
miserable fire. 

Three hours had elapsed since the departure of the Indians, 
and my afflicted companions began to lose all hope of seeing 
them again, when we perceived them turning a projecting 
point of land, and rowing toward us in a canoe of bark. They 
soon came on shore, bringing a large piece of smoked veni- 
son, and a bladder filled with fish oil. They boiled the meat 
in our iron pot with snow water, and when it was dressed 
they took care to distribute it amongst us in very small quan- 
tities, with a little oil, to prevent the dangerous consequences 
which might have resulted from our voracity in the debili- 
tated state to which our stomachs were reduced. 

This light repast being over, they made me embark with 
two of my companions in their canoe, which was too small to 
take us all at once. We were received upon landing by three 
Indians and a dozen women or children, who were waiting 
for us on the shore. While those in the canoe returned to 
fetch the rest of our company, the others led us toward their 
huts or wigwams, three in number, constructed for the same 
number of families, at the entrance of the forest. We were 
treated by these good people Avith the kindest hospitality; 
they made us swallow a kind of broth, but would not permit 
us, notwithstanding our entreaties, to eat meat, or take any 
other too substantial nourishment. 

I felt the sincerest joy when the canoe returned with our 
three companions. Upon finding ourselves together among 
these savages, after only such a short separation, we felt the 
sensations that, are experienced by friends from infancy, who, 

12* 



138 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP# 



after having long sighed remote from each other, at length 
find one another again in the bosom of their native land. The 
hut appeared to us the abode of bliss. The transports to which 
we gave way, interested in our favor a very old woman, wha 
testified great curiosity to hear our adventures. I gave a 
more circumstantial detail than before to the Indian who un- 
derstood French, and he rendered it into his language for 
the others. In the course of my narrative I had occasion to 
observe that the women were deeply affected by it, and ground- 
ed on this impression the hope of favorable treatment during 
our stay. 

After having satisfied the most pressing wants, our thoughts 
were turned toward the unfortunate comrades whom we had 
left behind at the place of our shipwreck. The distress to 
which we had so near fallen victims made me fear that their 
fate had been still more wretched. However, if but one of 
them survived, I was determined to omit no exertion to save 
him. I endeavored to describe to the savages, as well as I 
was able, the quarter of the island on which we had been cast, 
and inquired whether it was not possible to send thither some 
relief 

To the description I gave of the course of the neighboring 
river, and of a small island to be seen at a little distance from 
its mouth, they replied that they were perfectly acquainted 
with the spot, that it was about one hundred miles to it, by 
ve,ry difficult ways through the woods; that they must cross 
rivers and mountains to arrive at it, and if they undertook the 
journey they must expect some compensation for their fatigues. 
It would have been unreasonable to require them to suspend 
their hunting, their only means of supporting their wiv^es and 
children, to undertake the toilsome excursion purely from a 
motive of benevolence toward strangers. As to their account 
of the distance of the place where we were wrecked, it did not 
appear exaggerated, since I computed, by my own calcula- 
tions, that our course along the shore could not have been 
less than one hundred and fifty miles. 

I then told them what it had not before come into my mind 
to mention, that I had money, and that if it was of any value 
in their eyes, I would employ part to pay them for their 
trouble. They seemed perfectly satisfied with the proposal, 
and asked to see my purse; I took it from my servant and 
showed them the guineas which it contained. At the sight 
of the gold I observed in their countenances sensations which 
I should never have expected to meet with among a savage 



toss OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 139 

people ; the women in particular eyed it with extreme avidi- 
ty ; and when I had presented each of them with a guinea, 
they set up a loud laugh, that being the way in which the 
Indians express extraordinary emotions of joy. 

However exorbitant their pretensions might be, I deter- 
mined to spare nothing to save my countrymen, if any of 
them were still alive. We, therefore, concluded an agree- 
ment, by which they engaged to depart the following day, and 
I was to give them tv/enty-five guineas before they set off, 
and the same sum on their return. They immediately fell to 
work to make shoes fit for walking upon the snow, both for 
themselves and our seamen, whom they were to bring back. 
Early the next morning they departed, after receiving the sti- 
pulated sum. 

From the moment the savages saw gold in my possession, 
my situation lost all the charms which it owed to their hos- 
pitality. They became as rapacious as they had before beeni 
generous, requiring ten times the value of the smallest articles 
with which they furnished my companions and me. I was 
fearful, too, lest this excessive passion for money, which they 
had contracted from their intercourse with the Europeans, 
should impel them to rob us, and leave us in the same deplo- 
rable situation from which we had been rescued by their as- 
sistance. The only motive on which I grounded the hope of 
more humane treatment was the religion they had embraced, 
having been converted to Christianity by the French Jesuits, 
before this island was ceded to us together with Canada. 
They showed the strongest attachment to their new faith, and 
frequently stunned us in the evening by their doleful psalmody. 
My servant was a particular favorite with them all, because, 
being an Irish Catholic, he joined their prayers, though he 
did not understand a single word of them. I much doubt 
whether they themselves could understand them, for their 
singing, or rather shouting, was a confused jargon, composed 
of bad French and their savage idiom, with a few Latin 
phrases which they had learned from their missionaries. 

We were many days before we recovered our strength, or 
were capable of digesting any substantial food. The only 
nourishment the Indians could procure us was elk flesh and 
seal-oil, upon which they live entirely during the hunting 
season. 

Though the remembrance of so many past miseries caused 
us to bless the change in our situation, and reconciled us to 
our residence among the savages, yet I felt very anxious to 



140 LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 

leave them, on account of the despatches with which I had 
heen entrusted, and which might be of the greatest import- 
ance to the public service ; and the more, as I could not be 
ignorant that the duplicate was lost in the wreck of the brig. 

But I was still so weak, that for some time I found it im- 
possible to take the least exercise, and experienced, as well 
as the companions of my misfortunes, how difficult it is to re- 
cover from such a rude attack upon the constitution. 

After an absence of about a fortnight, the Indians returned 
with three of our people, being all that death had spared out 
of the eight persons whom I had left behind at the hut. They 
informed us, that after consuming all their provisions, they 
had subsisted upon the skin of the elk which we had disdain- 
ed to share with them; that the latter resource being ex- 
hausted, three had died of hunger, and that the others had 
been reduced to the horrible necessity of feeding on the dead 
bodies till the arrival of the Indians ; that one of the five who 
remained had given way with so much imprudence to his vo- 
racity, that he died in a few hours, amidst inexpressible tor- 
ments ; and that another had accidentally killed himself in 
handling the arms of one of the savages. Thus our compa- 
ny, consisting at first of nineteen persons, was reduced to 
nine ; and I wonder, whenever I think of it, that a single in- 
dividual escaped, after having had to contend for the space of 
three months with all the complicated hardships of cold, 
hunger, and fatigue. 

Our impaired strength kept us in this dismal place a fort- 
night longer, during which I was obliged, as before, to pay 
the most exorbitant price for our food and our smallest wants. 
At the end of that time, finding my health somewhat re-esta- 
blished, and my purse almost empty, I conceived myself oblig- 
ed to sacrifice my personal comfort to my duty to the service, 
and resolved to proceed with my despatches to General 
Clinton with all possible expedition, though this, of all the 
seasons of the year, was the least proper for traveling. I 
therefore hired two Indians to take me to Halifax for forty 
guineas, which I engaged to pay them upon my arrival there. 
I farther took upon myself to furnish them by the way with 
every kind of provisions, and suitable refreshments, in the in- 
habited parts through which we might pass. Some of the 
other Indians were to conduct the rest of our company to a 
settlement on Spanish River, where they were to remain till 
the spring, to wait for an opportunity of proceeding to Halifax 
by sea. I furnished the captain with all ihe money necessa- 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 141 

ry for his subsistence and that of his men, for which he gave 
me a bill on his owner at New- York. The latter was not 
ashamed to refuse to pay it, under the pretext that as the ship 
was lost, neither the captain nor the crew could have any 
daim upon him. 

I set off on the second of April, accompanied by two Indians, 
my servant, and Mr. Winslow, a young passenger in our ship, 
and one of the three survivors at the hut. We each carried 
with us four pair of Indian shoes, a pair of snow shoes, and 
provisions for a fortnight. We arrived that evening at a place 
called by the English Broad Oar, where a snow stonn de- 
tained us the w^hole of the following day. We set off again 
on the 4th, and after a march of about fifteen miles, arrived 
on the banks of a beautiful salt-water lake, called the lake of 
St. Peter, one end of which communicates with the sea. 
Here we met with two Indian families that were going a hunt- 
mg. I purchased of them, for four guineas, a bark canoe, 
which my guides informed me would very often be necessary 
for crossing certain parts of the lake that are never frozen. 
As in other parts we should have to travel upon the ice, I was 
likewise obliged to buy two sledges to place the boat upon, 
and to draw it after us. 

Having enjoyed two days repose, and procuring a fresh 
supply of provisions, we resumed our march on the 7th, pro- 
ceeding several miles along the bank of the lake ; but the ice 
being bad, we were obliged to quit that route and take another 
through the woods. The snow there was six feet deep ; a 
thaw, accompanied with rain, which came on the next day, 
rendered it so soft that it was no longer possible to Avalk upon 
its surface. We were therefore obliged to stop. ^ A large fire, 
a commodious wigwam, and abundance of provisions, as- 
sisted us to endure this disagreeable delay without entirely 
dissipating our inquietudes. The winter was too far advanc- 
ed, for us to hope to travel much longer upon the snow with- 
out the accidental return of the frost ; and should it not re- 
turn again, the only thing we could do was to Avait till the 
lake should be entirely cleared of the ice, and thus we might 
be detained a fortnight or three weeks longer. In this case 
our situation was likely to become as unfortunate as that to 
which we had been reduced by our shipwreck, excepting that 
the weather was less severe, that we Avere rather better sup- 
plied with provisions, and had at least arms to recruit our 
Stock. 

The frost fortunately returned on the 12th, and we resolved 



142 LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 

to take advantage of it the next day. We that day proceeded 
six leagues, sometimes on floating ice, and sometimes in the 
canoes. On the 14th, our provisions being almost consumed, 
I proposed to go in pursuit of game, which appeared to abound 
in this district. The savages, in general, think only on the 
wants of the day, without troubling themselves about those of 
the morrow. This foresight might, however, have proved very 
essential, since a sudden thaw might have prevented us from 
going out. I Avent into the woods with one of my guides, and 
we soon discovered the traces of an elk, which my Indian 
killed after an hour's pursuit. He opened him with much 
dexterity, caught the blood in a bladder, and cut up the body 
into large quarters, part of vv^hich we carried on our shoulders 
to the canoe, sending the other Indian, my servant, and Mr. 
Winslow for the remainder. This expedition procured us a 
sufficient stock of provisions to remove any apprehensions of 
want, even in case a sudden thav/ prevented us from continu- 
ing our route on the lake or in the woods. 

We departed early in the morning of the 15th, and that day 
went six leagues, which so much diminished our strength, al- 
ready exhausted by long hardships, that it was impossible to 
proceed the next day. We were detained by fatigue till the 
18th, when we resumed our journey in the same manner, that 
is, partly on the floating ice and partly in the canoe, in those 
places where the lake was not frozen. 

I then had an opportunity to notice the beauties of the lake, 
one of the finest that I have seen in America, though the sea- 
' son was not calculated to show it to advantage. It is covered 
with an infinite number of small islands dispersed over its 
surface, which gave it a great resemblance to the celebrated 
lake of Killarney and the other fresh-water lakes of Ireland. 
No settlement has ever been made on the islands, though the 
soil appears fertile ; and the residence upon them would be de- 
lightful in summer, were it possible to procure fresh water, of 
w^hich they are entirely destitute ; and this is doubtless the 
reason why they are not inhabited. 

If the ice of the lake had been uninterrupted and more so- 
lid, we should have saved much time and trouble by proceed- 
ing directly from point to point, from one island to another, 
instead of being obliged to make a long circuit at every bay 
we came to. 

On the 20th we arrived at St. Peter's, a place where there 
is a settlement of a few English and French families. I am 
bound in gratitude to make mention here of Mr, Cav?inagh, 



LOSS OF AN ENGLISH SLOOP. 143 

an English merchant, who received us with every kind of ci- 
vility, and who, being informed of my misfortunes, had the 
confidence to advance me two hundred pounds sterling for a 
bill of exchange Avhich I gave him on my father, though our 
name was utterly unknown to him. 

At St. Peter's I should have hired a fishing-boat to repair 
to Halifax, but for the apprehension of falling into the hands 
of the American privateers, with which those seas were then 
infested. The lake being in this place separated from the sea 
by a forest about a mile broad, we had only to drag our canoe 
that distance, in order to reach the coast and embark. After 
stopping the following days in different places of little conse- 
quence, we arrived on the 25th at Narrashoe, where we were 
received with the same hospitality as at St. Peter's. We left 
it on the 26th in our canoe, to repair to the Isle Madame, situa- 
ted about the middle of the streights of Canceau,* which se- 
parate Cape Breton from Nova Scotia: but at the point of 
that island we discovered such a prodigious quantity of float- 
ing ice, that it would have been the height of imprudence to 
venture our feeble bark among it. We therefore returned to 
Narrashoe, where I hired a vessel capable of resisting its 
violence. I ordered the canoes to be taken on board, and on 
the 27th, with the assistance of the most favorable wind, we 
crossed the streights in three hours and landed at Canceau, 
which gives name to them. At length, after a navigation of 
ten days along the coast, our canoe brought us in safety into 
the harbor of Plalifax. 

The Indians having received the sum we had agreed upon, 
and the presents with vchich I endeavored to satisfy my grati- 
tude toward those to whom I owed the preservation of my life, 
left us in a few days to return to their island. As I was obliged 
to wait a considerable time longer for a vessel, I had, during 
that interval, the satisfaction to be joined by my companions 
in misfortune, whom the other Indians had taken to conduct 
by Spanish River. At last, after waiting two months, I em- 
barked in the ship called the Royal Oak, and arrived at Noav- 
York, where I delivered my despatches to General Clinton 
in a very tattered condition. 

* The Gut of Canso. 



144 SUFFERINGS OF EPHRAIM HOW. 



THE SUFFERINGS OF EPHRAIM HOW, 

Of New-Haven, who set sail for Boston in a small Ketch^ 
which on its return was wrecked near Cape Sable, in tJi^ 
year 1676. 

On the 25th of August, 1676, Mr. Ephraim How, of New- 
Haven, in New-England, with his two eldest sons, one Mr. 
Augur, Caleb Jones, son to Mr. William. Jones, one of th© 
magistrates of New-Haven, and a boy — six persons in all — 
set sail from New-Haven for Boston in a small ketch of about 
seventeen tons. 

Having despatched his business there, he sailed for New- 
Haven on the 10th of September, but was forced back to Bos- 
ton by contrary winds. Flere Mr. How was seized with a 
violent flux, which continued nearly a month ; many being 
sick and some dying of the same. 

Being in some degree restored to health, he again sailed 
from Boston, October 10. They went with a fair wind as far 
as Cape Cod ; but on a sudden the weather became very tem- 
pestuous, so that they could not pass the Cape, but were dri- 
ven off to sea, where they were in great danger, experiencing 
terrible storms with outrageous winds and seas. 

His eldest son fell sick and died about the 21st; soon after 
his other son was taken ill and died also. This was a bitter 
cup to the poor father, for these youths were his only assist- 
ants in worki-ng the vessel. Soon after Caleb Jones died, so 
that half of the company were now no more. 

Mr. How continued in a very sickly and weak state, yet 
was necessitated to stand at the helm twenty-four and thirty- 
six hours together. During this time the sea was so boiste- 
rous as frequently to break over the vessel, and if he had not 
been lashed fast he must have been washed overboard. In this 
extremity he was at a loss whether he should persist in en- 
deavoring to make for the New-England shore, or bear away 
for the Southern Islands. Upon his proposing the question to 
Mr. Augur, they determined, according to the custom of some 
in those times, to decide this difficult case by casting lots. 
They did so, and it fell upon New-England. 

Nearly about the 7th of November they lost their rudder, 
so that now their only dependence was upon Providence. In 
this deplorable state they drove up and down for a fortnight 
longer. During the last six weeks the poor infirm Mr. How 



SUFFERINGS OF EPHRAIM HOW. 145 

was hardly ever dry, nor had he the benefit of warm food 
above thrice, or thereabout. 

At length, about the 21st of November, early in the morn- 
ing, the vessel was driven on the tailings of a ledge of rocks 
where the sea broke violently. Looking out, they saw a dis- 
mal rocky island to the leeward, upon which, if Providence 
had not given timely warning, they had been dashed to pieces. 
They immediately let go an anchor, and got out the boat, 
and the sea became calm. The boat proving leaky, and they 
being in great terror they took but little out of the ketch, but 
got on shore as they could. 

Here they could discover nehher man or beast. It was a 
small, rocky, desolate island, near Cape Sable, the southern 
extremity of Nova Scotia. They now appeared to be in great 
danger of being starved to deatb, but the storm returning, 
beat so violently on the vessel as it still lay at anchor, that 
it was stove to pieces, and several things floated to the shore. 

The following articles were all they had toward their fu- 
ture support: — A cask of gunpowder, which received no da- 
mage from the water; a barrel of wine; half a barrel of mo- 
lasses ; and several useful articles toward building a tent: all 
the above drifted from the wreck; beside which, they had 
fire arms and shot, a pot for boiling, and most probably other 
things not mentioned in the narrative. 

Their tent was soon erected, for the cold was noAv getting 
severe, but new and great distresses attended them, for though 
they had arms and ammunition, there were seldom any fowls 
to be seen, except crows, ravens, and sea-gulls. These were 
so fev/ that they could seldom shoot more than one at a time. 
Many times half a fowl, with the liquor it was boiled in, serv- 
ed for a meal for all three. Once they lived five days with- 
out any sustenance, but did not feel themselves pinched with 
hunger as at other times; which they esteemed as a special 
favor of heaven unto them. 

AVhen they had lived in this miserable condition twelve 
weeks, Mr. Flow's dear friend and companion, Mr. Augur, 
died, about the middle of February, 1677; so that he had none 
left to converse with but the ]ad, who likewise departed on the 
2d of April. 

Mr. How was now the sole inhabitant of this desolate spot, 
during April, May, and June, and saw fishing vessels every 
now and then sailing by ; some of which came even nearer 
to the island than that which at last took him off. He used 
all the means in his power to make them acquainted with his 

13 



146 VOYAGE OF THE SHIP PRESIDENT. 

distress ; but they either did not see him, or were afraid to 
approach close to the island, lest some of those Indians should 
be quartered there, who were at that time in hostility against 
the English, viz. the North-East Indians, who held out after 
the death of the famous Philip, king of the Wompanoags. 

At length a vessel belonging to Salem, in New-England, 
providentially passed by, and seeing this poor fellow, they 
sent their boat on shore and took him away. He had been 
on this island more than seven months, and above a quarter 
of a year by himself On the 18th of July he arrived at Sa- 
lem, and at last returned to his family at New-Haven. They 
for twelve months had supposed him dead; by which it appears 
he did not get home till the end of August, or perhaps later. 



VOYAGE OF THE PACKET-SHIP PRESIDENT. 

The voyage of the ship President, Captain H. L. Champlin, 

one of the New- York line of London packets, November and 
December, 1831, was unusually eventful. The ship sailed 
from Portsmouth, England, on the ISth of October, with 18 
cabin passengers and 90 m the steerage; and in her voyage 
of fifty days encountered a great number of severe gales and, 
squalls, beside other adventures. The following far ticulars 
are extracted from a journal, 2mblished for their private use, 
by the passengers. 

Monday, November 21, 1831. — Light breezes all this day 
from about N. W. a clearer sky, a brighter setting of the sun, 
and by eight o'clock in the evening, an almost perfect calm. 
The rays of the mild and bright full moon fell softly and 
eheerily on the scarcely rippled waters — the ship was nearly 
motionless — the air was mild and inviting — and the sails, 
which were all expanded to catch any passing breeze, flapped 
idly against the masts. The whole night was tranquil, and 
toward daylight every cloud had disappeared from the hori- 
zon; at six there was a light but promising breeze from the 
eastward, and we Vv'ere bearing before it with royals and 
studding sails all set. It increased, however, every moment, 
at seven o'clock the royals, studding sails and top-gallants 
were all struck, and at eight, from the violence of this suddea 
southeaster, we were tumbling over the huge waves undei 



VOYAGE OF THE SHIP PRESIDENT. 147 

close-reefed courses and fore-topsail, at the rate of eleven 
knots the hour. The heavens now became obscured with 
douds of a pitchy blackness, surcharged with wind and rain ; 
between ten and eleven o'clock we had two or three squalls, 
which, in their temporary violence, the captain assured us 
were not surpassed by the worst hurricane he had ever en- 
countered. A judicious and well-timed luffing to and shak- 
ing the sails in the wind alone saved them from total destruc- 
tion. So furious was the gale while it lasted, that the spray 
blown from the waves far and near resembled a snow drift, 
and when the rain fell it was in torrents. The air during all 
this time was pleasantly warm, but there was a dampness 
about it rather oppressive, which caused the barometer to 
sink menacingly low. With the severest of these squalls 
the wind hauled to about due west ; but both this and the sea 
gradually subsided, and until late in the afternoon there were 
prospects of a calm. Our latitude at noon to-day was 41 
deg. 36 min. and longitude 66 deg. At sunset heavy banks 
were visible to windward — ^the wind soon freshened, and the 
sea rose, and there were decided indications of a stormy 
night. About twelve o'clock the wind howled and moaned 
fearfully amidst the rigging, and the increasing sea gave a 
peculiar jerking motion to the ship. At two in the morn- 
ing of 

Wednesday, November 23, the gale became very severe, 
and the sea of mountainous height. Sleep was pretty gene- 
rally excluded, for the ship rocked and pitched to such an un- 
usual degree from the irregularity of the waves, that those in 
the upper berths were obliged to hold on to escape being 
thrown violently out upon the floor. A little after four o'clock 
we were suddenly awakened by the fearful crash of a very 
heavy sea breaking over the ship and pouring in upon the 
deck an immense flood of water. A studding sail boom was 
broken, and another swept overboard — the sky-lights of the 
ladies' and gentlemen's cabins were shattered, and floods of 
the briny element rushed in, setting the state-rooms on the 
leeward side quite afloat. In an instant all was bustle through- 
out the ship — some starting up to put ofl" their drenched gar- 
ments, others to fly from the reach of the threatening Avaters, 
and all eager to ascertain the full extent of the danger. Al- 
though, fortunately, not much had been done, there was 
something very appalling in such an hour. The wind at the 
same time blowing furiously and the sea running tremendous- 



148 TOYAGE OF THE SHIP PRESIDENT. 

ly high.* As the morning advanced there was some little 
diminution of the sea, or rather it became more regular, and 
therefore less uncomfortable, but no perceptible abatement of 
the gale. Under the scanty sail we could carry we of course 
made very little headway, while the drift to leeward was con- 
siderable. 

Sunday, November 27. — A light breeze sprang up from the 
eastward, accompanied with heavy and almost unremitted 
showers of rain. By nine o'clock it shifted to S. E. and began 
rapidly to grow fresher. About this hour there appeared a 
vessel on the larboard bow, which, from not showing a rag 
of sail, we concluded must be in some distress. The yards 
w^ere therefore braced up, and we bore toward her. It proved 
to be a small schooner, named the " Hitty Tom, of Duxbury," 
with her foremast and jib-boom carried away, and her sails 
in tattered plight, but otherwise apparently in sound condi- 
tion. The boat was gone, and the hatches snugly fastened 
down, proving evidently that she had been deliberately aban- 
doned, probably on the appearance of some ship to which 
her crew could betake themselves. She had probably become 
unmanageable from the loss of mast, spars, and sails, and was 
deserted in the hope of her being fallen in with and towed to 
port. The conditions of his insurance would not permit our 
captain to do this, and we therefore left her without delay. 
At eleven o'clock we had our usual services and a sermon 
preached by our clergyman of the presbyterian persuasion. 
From ten till four in the afternoon the w^ind continually in- 
creased, hauling gradually round, till at this la-st hour it reach- 
ed W. and soon after settled (blowing a furious gale) into N. 
W. About nightfall we passed a ship, which we supposed to 
be one of the packets, a little to leeward, lying to under very 
spare canvass, and since conjectured to have been either the 
Florida or Manchester. 

Monday, November 28. — After a hard blow all night there 
was a partial lull of the wind this morning, but at eleven 
o'clock it rose again into a gale, with a very heavy and un- 
pleasant sea. About this hour we observed what we supposed 
to be one of the Liverpool packets, from her having shown 

* When the above sea was shipped a larg« quantity of water went 
down the scuttle into the steerage, where there were ninety passengers. 
Some of the women, as they told one of the passengers (a clergyman) 
next day, thought for several minutes that the ship had foundered, and 
was rapidly sinking far down into the depths of the ocean. Great was 
the joy when one of their company, finding his way up through the 
scuttle, exclaimed;^ '' O thank God^ we are on the top yet." 



VOYAGE OF THE SHIP PRESIDENT. 149 

a Holyhead signal, bearing on the opposite tack to ourselves, 
and carrying, for the wind, a great press of sail. Toward 
evening the wind grew fluctuating and fitful, and soon we 
wore ship, heading about S. W. from some indications of a 
southerly breeze. Lat. at noon 39 deg. 40 m. long. 69 deg. 
20 m. — giving us about seventy miles in forty-eight hours. 

Tuesday, November 29. — During the past night the wind 
was rather moderate, from about W. S. W. and we all enjoyed 
the luxury of a good sound sleep. Toward morning it hauled 
to the W. N. W. accompanied with heavy falls of sleet and 
snow, with frequent and violent gusts of wind. About nine 
o'clock two ships appeared a little on our starboard bow, ex- 
hibiting such marks of distress as induced our captain to bear 
down for them; and in a short time we discovered that our 
conjectures were not unfounded. Coming along side the most 
injured of the two, we perceived her to be the " Lycurgus, of 
New- York," evidently run foul of by the neighboring ship. 
She appeared to have been struck astern, as her mizen and 
mainmast were both carried away, and the other ship was 
completely deprived of her bowsprit and foremast. The Ly- 
curgus was evidently abandoned, and appeared in a sinking 
condition, the other was lying to the wind under close-reefed 
maintopsai], and from showing no signal of distress, seemed 
to have undergone no damage in her hull. The wind was 
blowing a gale at the time, and the sea running very high, so 
that, even had it been desired, we could have afforded her no 
assistance. The sight of these dismantled ships was a truly 
appalling spectacle, and awoke in our hearts a strong feeling 
of gratitude, that, amid all the storms and tempests to which 
we had been exposed, no accident of any consequence had be- 
fallen us.* 

The clouds, after 12 o'clock, break a little, but the wind is 
very violent in squalls, and the sea exceedingly heavy. A 
fall of wet and cold sleet occasionally accompanies these 
squalls,, rendering it so exceedingly uncomfortable to the poor 
mariners that all the spare flannels and warm hosiery amongst 
the cabin passengers was put in requisition, and most cheer- 
fully furnished. 

About six o'clock we were visited by two or three squalls, 
which perhaps exceeded in fierceness the very worst we had 
encountered in the whole course of our truly tempestuous 

* The other of the above ships has since proved to be the Fabius, of 
New- York, and which went ashore herself before reaching port, losing 
her fir^ mate overboard. j 

13* 



150 VOYAGE OF THE SHIP PRESIDENT, 

voyage. The wind howled and roared amidst the riggingfj 
and it was impossible to listen to its terrific fury without a 
shudder of apprehension. The sea, too, was uncommonly 
high ; but the noble ship, as usual, rode the mountainous bil- 
lows with perfect ease. After the violent squalls, which pour- 
ed forth their appalling fury from about six till eight o'clock, 
accompanied by chilling and almost blinding showers of sleet 
and hail, there was a perceptible and most welcome lull in 
the wind, and a gradual subsiding of the sea. At six in the 
morning of 

Wednesday/, November 30, there was a decided change for 
the better, and at eight o'clock it proved a comparatively tran- 
quil morning, the wind moderate, and the sea very much gone 
down. 

During the past night a serious alarm was excited upon 
deck by the apparition of a ship bearing down upon us, nearly 
before the w^nd, in full sail, and so close that to avoid a con- 
tact seemed almost impossible. The second mate w^as in great 
terror, and had ordered the alarm-bell to be rung, and even 
the captain was startled, although scarcely persuaded that 
there were marks about this object correctly answering to the 
description of a ship The next impression w^as that it must 
be a water-spout, and conjecture immediately formed it into a 
cloud; but it turned out to be the captain's own shadow, re- 
flected to an immense magnitude by the lamps suspended 
from the roof of the cuddy, upon the thick and misty atmos- 
phere. The density of the air was much increased by the con- 
trast of its temperature with that of the water, which, from its 
contiguity to the Gulf-Stream, was now very warm, and the 
consequence was a vapor similar to steam, so thick as easily 
to take upon it such shadowy resemblances as had alarmed 
our crew. The feelings of all were undoubtedly more alive 
to such apprehensions from the accident we had witnessed in 
the early part of the day. 

Sunday, Becemher 4. — About 3 o'clock this morning the 
lights upon the highlands were discerned, and on rising the 
next morning Ave were presented with the cheerful and wel- 
come sight of land. . A long range of the Jersey shore, with 
the hills of Neversink beyond, were in full view ; but the wind 
was light and baffling, and our progress proportionably, I 
may say provokingly, slow. Now and then, however, a 
breeze sprang up, which bore us well onward toward Sandy 
Hook, and about mid-day its light-house was perfectly dis- 
cernible by the naked eye. About three o'clock we were 



L 



t^OYAGE OF THE SHIP PRESIDENT. 151 

boarded by the news-boat Eclipse, and soon after by the 
Thomas H. Smith, another boat of some of the daily papers. 
In these two of our passengers embarked, in the hope of being 
the sooner in town, and by them a notification of our ap- 
proach, with a list of passengers, consignees, &c. were trans- 
mitted to New- York. About five o'clock w^e received a pilot 
on board, and shortly a fine breeze sprung up from the S. W. 
which quite confirmed us in the expectation of being in port 
before the next morning. Fallacious hope ! Within a little 
hour, a violent squall, bearing with it a heavy fall of snow, 
struck us from about W.N.W. ; immediately all was bustle on 
board, sail was taken in, and in a few moments we were 
drifting away from our long-desired haven under the closet 
sail. The wind all night, and all the next day, blew a tre- 
mendous gale ; and in addition to its unpleasant and danger- 
ous violence, the weather became piercingly cold. The un- 
happy sailors were completely benumbed ; there was speedi- 
ly a coat of ice over the whole of the sails and rigging, and 
every drop of spray froze as it fell on the deck. All these 
were circumstances to render it truly a " miserable night," 
decidedly the worst we had experienced during the whole of 
our very bad voyage. Winds, and weaves, and frost, com- 
bined with the distressing circumstance of being driven out 
to sea at the moment we fancied ourselves secure of our port, 
was almost too much for the fortitude of the most patient 
amongst us. The chief subject of conversation was our ex- 
treme regret at not having been able to come to an anchor 
within the Hook before the gale commenced; but our regrets 
only proved our shortsightedness. The packet from Charles- 
ton, also named the President, had actually reached the envi- 
able situation for w^hich we had been longing. She dragged 
her anchors, drifted upon a dangerous shoal a considerable 
distance from land, filled, and went to pieces, and the crew 
and passengers very narrowly escaped with their lives ! 

The cold during the v/hole of Monday/, December 5, was 
intense, and we were without the slightest provision for a 
fire. The fury of the gale was unmitigated, and it was not 
till nearly daylight, on the morning of 

Tuesday/, December 6, that it lulled sufiiciently to enable 
us to bear the close-reefed foretopsail and mainsail. At ten 
o'clock we lay up about due north, close hauled, in order to 
make the land on Long-Island, and thus ascertain our exact 
position. About three o'clock the land to the westward of 
Fire-Island, and soon after the light-house, some little distance 



152 



VOYAGE OF THE SHIP PRESIDENT. 



to windward, became visible, proving- that our drift, during the 
thirty-six hours of the gale, had been nothing like vi^hat we 
had anticipated, and correspondently strengthening our good 
opinion of the noble ship. It still blew nearly a gale from 
about W. N.W. but the sea Avas smooth, and as much sail 
crowded as the gallant President could well " stagger" under. 
She swept through the water, and by midnight the lights on 
the highlands were a second time discerned. 

Wednesday, December 7. — This morning, at an early hour, 
we were again greeted with a sight of the Jersey coast. The 
weather however looked doubtful, and we all felt more anx- 
ious than rejoiced, lest the unhappy occurrence of Sunday 
night might be repeated. Yet as the morning advanced the 
prospects were more cheering, and under a light, but head 
breeze, we were making a gradual progress toward the Hook, 
when about twelve o'clock we were boarded by the news- 
boat Thomas H. Smith, and nearly all of the cabin passen- 
gers, and some of those in the steerage, agreed to take ad- 
vantage of her lighter and more expeditious sailing to New- 
York, being much encouraged by the intelligence that our 
fellow- voyagers had safely reached the city on Sunday night. 
Before two o'clock we were all embarked, by six o'clock we 
were within the Hook, and at nine we were safely landed on 
the wharf at New-York. 

Thus ended our tedious and dangerous voyage, a voyage 
of more than fifty days in length, and in which we struggled 
against more than a month of head wind, encountered at 
least a dozen gales, and two or three hundred severe squalls. 
But, owing to the strength of our excellent ship, and the rare 
skill and vigilance of our captain, no serious injury was sus- 
tained either by the crew or passengers. Although we press- 
ed on our way wreck after wreck, and found, on our arrival, 
the newspaper columns crowded with disasters of fellow-voy- 
agers, all of our great company (nearly one hundred and fifty 
souls) were landed, safely landed at our long-sought haven. 
We found, too, that other vessels which had left London som« 
days before us, were yet unheard of. Such distinguished pro- 
tection and kindness as we have experienced from the Father 
of mercies, demand unfeigned gratitude, and a life of future 
obedience. May these claims of our great Benefactor be felt 
by us all, and may the result of these trials be our better pre- 
paration for the termination of the voyage of life, and the ad- 
mission of our disembodied spirits into that haven above, 
where no tempest blows, and " no wave of trouble ever rolls." 



LOSS OF THE CENTAUR. 153 



LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP CENTAUR, 

Of Seventy-four Guns, September 2od, 1782; and the Mira- 
culous Preservation of the Phniace, with the Captain^ 
Master, and ten of the Crew. By Captai?i Inglefield, 

After the decisive engagement in the West-Indies, on the 
glorious 12th of April, 1782, when the French fleet under 
Count de Grasse was defeated by Admiral Sir George Rod- 
ney, several of the captured ships, beside many others, were 
either lost or disabled, on their homeward bound passage, 
with a large convoy. Among those lost was the Centaur of 
seventy-four guns, whose commander. Captain Inglefield, with 
the master and ten of the crew, experienced a most providen- 
tial escape from the general fate. 

The captain's narrative affords the best explanation of the 
manner and means by which this signal deliverance was ef- 
fected. Those only who are personally involved in such a 
calamity can describe their sensations with full energy, and 
fiirnish, in such detail, those trials of the heart which never 
fail to interest. 

The Centaur (says Captain Inglefield) left Jamaica in ra- 
ther a leaky condition, keeping two hand-pumps going, and 
when it blew fresh, sometimes a spell with a chain- pump was 
necessary. But I had no apprehension that the ship was not 
able to encounter a common gale of wind. 

In the evening of the 16th of September, when the fatal 
gale came on, the ship was prepared for the worst weather 
usually met in those latitudes; the mainsail was reefed and 
set, the top-gallant mast struck, and the mizen-yard lowered 
down, though at that time it did not blow very strong. Toward 
midnight ii blew a gale of wind, and the ship made so much 
water that I was obliged to turn all hands to spell the pumps. 
The leak still increasing, I had thought to try the ship before 
the sea. Happy I should have been, perhaps, had I in this 
been determined. The impropriety of leaving the convoy, 
except in the last extremity, and the hopes of the weather 
growing moderate, weighed against the opinion that it was 
right. 

About two in the morning the wind lulled, and we flattered 
ourselves the gale was breaking. Soon after we had much 
thunder and lightning from the south-east, with rain, when it 
began to blow strong in gusts of wind, which obliged me to 



154 LOSS OF THE CENTAUR. 

haul the mainsail up, the ship being then under bare poles. 
This was scarcely done, when a gust of wind, exceeding in 
violence any thing of the kind I had ever seen or had any 
conception of, laid the ship upon her beam ends. The water 
forsook the hold and appeared between decks, so as to fill 
the men's hammocks to leeward; the ship lay motionless, 
and to all appearance irrecoverably overset. The water in- 
creasing fast, forced through the cells of the ports, and scut- 
tled in the ports from the pressure of the ship. I gave im- 
mediate directions to cut away the main and mizen masts, 
hoping, when the ship righted, to wear her. The mizen-mast 
v/ent first, upon cutting one or two of the lanyards, without 
the smallest effect upon the ship; the main-mast followed, 
upon cutting the lanyard of one shroud ; and I had the disap- 
pointment to see the foremast and bowsprit follow. The ship 
upon this immediately righted, but with great violence ; and 
the motion was so quick, that it was difficult for the people 
to work the pumps. Three guns broke loose upon the main- 
deck, and it was some time before they were secured. Seve- 
ral men being maimed in this attempt, every moveable was 
destroyed, either from the shot thrown loose from the lock- 
ers, or the wreck of the deck. The officers who had left 
their beds naked when the ship overset in the morning, had 
not an article of clothes to put on, nor could their friends 
supply them. 

The masts had not been over the sides ten minutes before 
I was informed the tiller had broken short in the rudder-head ; 
and before the chocks could be placed, the rudder itself was 
gone. Thus we were as much disastered as it was possible, 
lying at the mercy of the wind and sea : yet I had one com- 
fort, that the pumps, if any thing, reduced the water in the 
hold; and as the morning came on (the 17th) the weather 
grew more moderate, the wind having shifted, in the gale, to 
north-west. 

At daylight I saw two line of battle ships to leeward ; one 
had lost her foremast and bowsprit, the other her mainmast. 
It was the general opinion on board the Centaur, that the 
former was the Canada, the other the Glorieux. The Ramil- 
lies was not in sight, nor more than fifteen sail of merchant 
ships. 

About seven in the morning I saw another line of battle 
ship ahead of us, which I soon distinguished to be the Ville 
de Paris, with all her masts standing. I immediately gave 
orders to make the signal of distress, hoisting the ensign on 



LOSS OF THE CENTAUR. 155 

the stump of the mizen-mast, union downwards, and firing 
one of the forecastle guns. The ensign blew away soon after 
it was hoisted, and it was the only one we had remaining ; but 
I had the satisfaction to see the Ville de Paris wear and stand 
toward us. Several of the merchant ships also approached 
us, and those that could, hailed, and offered their assistance ; 
but depending upon the king's ship, I only thanked them, de- 
siring, if they joined Admiral Graves, to acquaint him of our 
condition. I had not the smallest doubt but the Ville de Paris 
was coming to us, as she appeared to us not to have suffered 
in the least by the storm, and having seen her wear, we knew 
she was under government of her helm ; at this time also it 
was so moderate that the merchantmen set their topsails ; bat 
approaching Avithin two miles, she passed us to windward: 
this being observed by one of the merchant ships, she wore 
and came under our stern, offering to carry any message to 
her. I desired the master would acquaint Captain Wilkinson 
that the Centaur had lost her rudder as well as her masts j 
that she made a great deal of water, and that I desired he 
would remain with her until the weather grew moderate. I 
saw the merchantman approach afterward near enough to 
speak to the Ville de Paris, but I am afraid that her condition 
was much worse that it appeared to be, as she continued upon 
that tack. In the mean time all the quarter-deck guns Avere 
thrown overboard, and all but six, which had overset, off the 
main deck. The ship lying in the trough of the sea, labored 
prodigiously. I got over one of the small anchors, with a 
boom and several of the gun-carriages, veering out from the 
head door by a large hawser, to keep the ship's bow to the sea ; 
but this, wiih a top-gallant-sail upon the stump of the mizen- 
mast, had not the desired effect. 

As the evening came on it grew hazy, and blew strong in 
squalls. We lost sight of the Ville de Paris, but I thought it a 
certainty that we should see her the next morning. The night 
Avas passed in constant labor at the pumps. Sometimes the 
wind lulled, and the water diminished ; when it blew strong 
again, the sea rising, the water again increased. 

Toward the morning of the 18th I was informed there were 
seven feet water upon the kelson ; that one of the winches was 
broken ; that the two spare ones would not fit, and that the 
hand-pumps v/ere choked. These circumstances were suffi- 
ciently alarming ; but upon opening the after-hold, to get 
some rum up for the people, we found our condition much 
more so. 



156 LOSS OF THE CENTAUR. 

It will be necessary to mention, that the Centaur's afler- 
hold was enclosed by a bulk-head at the after part of the well ; 
here are all the dry provisions and the ship's rum were stowed 
upon twenty chaldrons of coal, which unfortunately had been 
started on this part of the ship, and by them the pumps were 
continually choked. The chain-pumps were so much worn 
as to be of little use ; and the leathers, which, had the well 
been clear, would have lasted twenty days or more, were all 
consumed in eight. At this time it was observed that the wa- 
ter had not a passage to the well, for there was so much that 
it washed against the orlop-deck. All the rum, twenty -six 
puncheons, and all the provisions, of which there was suffi- 
cient for two months, in casks, were staved, having floated 
with violence from side to side until there was not a whole 
cask remaining ; even the staves that were found upon clear- 
ing the hold, were most of them broken in two pieces. In the 
fore-hold we had a prospect of perishing: should the ship 
swim we had no water but what remained in the ground tiers ; 
and over this all the wet provisions, and butts filled with salt 
water, were floating, and with so much motion that no man 
could with safety go into the hold. There was nothing left 
for us to try but bailing with buckets at the fore hatchway 
and fish-room ; and twelve large canvass buckets were im- 
mediately employed at each. On opening the fish-room we 
were so fortunate as to discover that two puncheons of rum, 
which belonged to me, had escaped. They were immediately 
got up, and served out at times in drams ; and had it not been 
for this relief, and some lime juice, the people would have 
dropped. 

We soon found our account in bailing ; the spare pump 
had been put down the fore hatchway, and a pump shifted to 
the fish-room; but the motion of the ship had washed the 
coals so small, that they had reached every part of the ship, 
and the pumps were soon choked. However, the water by 
noon had considerably diminished by working the buckets ; 
but there appeared no prospect of saving the ship, if the gale 
oontinued. The labor was too great to hold out without wa- 
ter ; yet the people worked without a murmur, and indeed 
with cheerfulness. 

At this time the weather was more moderate, and a couple 
of spars were got ready fpr shears, to set up a jury foremast; 
but as the evening came on the gale again increased. We 
had seen nothing this day but the ship that had lost her main- 
mast, and she appeased to be as much in want of assistance as 



LOSS OF THE CENTAUR. 157 

ourselves, having fired guns of distress ; and before night 1 
was told her fore mast was gone. 

The Centaur labored so much, that I had scarcely a hope 
she could swim till morning. However, by great exertion of 
the chain-pumps and bailing, we held our own, but our suf- 
ferings for want of water were very great, and many of the 
people could not be restrained from drinking salt water. 

At daylight (the 19th) there was no vessel in sight; and 
flashes from guns having been seen in the night, we feared 
the ship we had seen the preceding day had foundered. To- 
ward ten o'clock in the forenoon the weather grew more mo- 
derate, the water diminished in the hold, and the people Avere 
encouraged to redouble their efforts to get the water low 
enough to break a cask of fresh water out of the ground tier; 
and some of the most resolute of the seamen were employed 
in the attempt. At noon we succeeded with one cask, which 
though little, was a seasonable relief All the officers, pas- 
sengers and boys, who were not of the profession of seamen, 
had" been employed thrumming a sail, which was passed un- 
der the ship's bottom, and I thought it had some effect. The 
shears were raised for the fore-mast; the weather looked 
promising, the sea fell, and at night we were able to relieve 
at the pumps and bailing every two hours. By the morning 
of the 20th the fore-hold was cleared of the water, and we had 
the comfortable promise of a fine day. It proved so, and I 
w^as determined to make use of it with every possible exer- 
tion. I divided the ship's company, with the officers attend- 
ing them, into parties, to raise the jury foremast; to heave 
over the lower-deck guns; to clear the wrecks of the fore 
and after holds ; to prepare the machine for steering the ship, 
and to work the pumps. By night the after-hold was as clear 
as when the ship was launched; for, to our astonishment, 
there was not a shovel of coals remaining, twenty chaldrons 
having been pumped out since the commencement of the gale. 
What I have called the wreck of the hold, was the bulk-heads 
of the after-hold, fish-room, and spirit-rooms. The standards 
of the cock-pit, and an immense quantity of staves and wood, 
and part of the lining of the ship, were thrown over-board, 
that if the water should appear again in the hold, we might 
have no impediment in bailing. All the guns were over- 
board, the fore-mast secured, and the machine, which was to 
be similar to that with Avhichthe Ipswich was steered, was in 
great forwardness; so that I was in hopes, the moderate wea- 
ther continuing, that I should be able to steer the ship by noon 

14 



158 . LOSS OF THE CENTAUR. 

the following- day, and at least save the people on some of the 
Western Islands.* Had we any other ship in company with 
us I should have thought it my duty to have quitted the Cen- 
taur this day. 

This night the people got some rest by relieving the watch- 
es; but in the morning of the 21st we had the mortification 
to find that the weather again threatened, and by noon it blew 
a gale. The ship labored greatly, and the water appeared 
in the fore and after hold, and increased. The carpenter 
also informed me that the leathers were nearly consumed ; 
and likewise that the chains of the pumps, by constant exer- 
tion and the friction of the coals, were considered as nearly 
useless. 

As we had now no other resource but bailing, I gave orders 
that scuttles should be cut through the decks to introduce 
more buckets in the hold ; and all the sail-makers were em- 
ployed, night and day, in making canvass buckets: and the 
orlop-deck having fallen in on the larboard side, I ordered the 
sheet cable to be roused overboard. The wind at this time 
was at west, and being on the larboard tack, many schemes 
had been practiced to wear the ship, that we might drive into 
a less boisterous latitude, as well as approach the Western 
Islands ; but none succeeded: and having a weak carpenter's 
crew, they were hardly sufficient to attend to the pumps ; so 
that we could not make any progress with the steering ma- 
chine. Another sail had been thrummed and got over, but 
we did not find its use ; indeed there was no prospect but in 
a change of weather. A large leak had been discovered and 
stopt in the fore-hold, and another in the lady's hole ; but the 
ship appeared so weak from her laboring, that it was clear 
she could not last long. The after cock-pit had fallen in, the 
fore cock-pit the same, with all the store-rooms down; the 
stern-post was so loose, that as the ship rolled, the water 
rushed in on either side in great streams, which we could 
not stop. 

Night came on, Avith the same dreary prospect as on the 
preceding, and was passed in continual efforts of labor. Morn- 
ijig came, (the 2'2d,) without our seeing any thing, or any 
change of weather, and the day was spent with the same 
struggles to keep the ship above water, pumping and bailing 
at the hatch-waj^s and scuttles. Toward night another of 
the chain pumps was rendered quite useless, by one of the 
rollers being displaced at the bottom of the pump, and this 
* The Azores. 



L 



LOSS OF THE CENTAUR. 159 

was without remedy, there being too much water in the well 
to get to it; we also had but six leathers remaining, so that 
the fate of the ship was not far off Still the labor went on 
without any apparent despair, every officer taking his share 
of it, and the people were always cheerful and obedient. 

During the night the water increased ; but about seven in 
the morning of the 23d I was told that an unusual quantity of 
water appeared, all at once, in the fore-hold, which, upon my 
going forward to be convinced, I found but too true ; the stow- 
age of the hold ground-tier was all in motion, so that in a 
short time there was not a whole cask to be seen. We were 
convinced the ship had sprung a fresh leak. Another sail 
had been thrumming all night, and I was giving directions 
to place it over the bows, when I perceived the ship settling 
by the head, the lower deck bow ports being even with the 
water. 

At this period the carpenter acquainted me the well was 
staved in, destroyed by the wreck of the hold, and the chain- 
pumps displaced and totally useless. There was nothing left 
but to redouble our efforts in bailing ; but it became difficult to 
fill the buckets, from the quantity of staves, planks, anchor- 
stock, and yard-arm pieces, which were now washed from 
the wings, and floating from side, to side with the motion of 
the ship. The people, till this period, had labored, as if de- 
termined to conquer their difficulties, without a murmur or 
without a tear; but now, seeing their efforts useless, many of 
them burst into tears and wept like children. 

I gave orders for the anchors, of which we had two re- 
maining, to be thrown overboard, one of which (the spare an- 
chor) had been most surprisingly hove in upon the forecastle 
and mid ships, when the ship had been upon her beamends, 
and gone through the deck. 

Every time that I visited the hatch-way I observed that the 
water increased, and at noon washed even with the orlop- 
deck ; the carpenter assured me the ship could not swim long, 
and proposed making rafts to float the ship's company, whom 
it was not in my power to encourage any longer with a pros- 
pect of their safety. Some appeared perfectly resigned, went 
to their hammocks and desired their messmates to lash them 
in ; others were lashing themselves to gratings and small rafts ; 
but the most predominant idea was, that of putting on their 
best and cleanest clothes. 

The weather, about noon, had been something moderate, 
and as rafts had been mentioned by the carpenter, I thought 



160 LOSS OF THE CENTAUR. 

it right to make the attempt, though I knew our booms could 
not float half the ship's company in fine weather; but we 
were in a situation to catch at a straw. I therefore called 
the ship's company together, told them my intention, recom- 
mending them to remain regular and obedient to their officers. 
Preparations were immediately made for this purpose ; the 
booms were cleared; the boats, of which we had three, viz. 
cutter, pinnace, and five-oared yawl, were got over the side ; 
a bag of bread was ordered to be put in each, and any liquors 
that could be got at, for the purpose of supplying the rafts. I 
had intended myself to go in the five-oared yawl, and the 
coxswain was desired to get any thing from my steward that 
might be useful. Two men, captains of the tops, of the fore- 
castle, or quarter-masters, were placed in each of them, to 
prevent any person from forcing the boats, or getting into 
them till an arrangement was made. While these prepara- 
tions were making, the ship was gradually sinking, the orlop- 
decks having been blown up by the water in the hold, and 
the cables floated on the gun deck. The men had some time 
quitted their employment of bailing, and the ship was left 
to her fate. 

In the afternoon the weather again threatened, and blew 
strongly in sqtialls; the sea ran high, and one of the boats 
(the yawl) was staved'^long side and sunk. As the evening 
approached, the ship appeared little more than suspended in 
water. There was no certainty that she would swim from 
one minute to another ; and the love of life, which I believe 
never showed ttself later in the approach to death, began now 
to level all distinctions. It was impossible, indeed, for any 
man to deceive himself with a hope of being saved upon a 
raft in such a sea ; beside that, the ship in sinking, it Avas 
probable, would carry every thign down with her in a vortex, 
to a certain distance. 

It was near five o'clock, when, coming from my cabin, I 
observed a number of people looking very anxiously over the 
side; and looking over myself, I saw that several men had 
forced the pinnace, and that more were attempting to get in. 
I had immediate thoughts of securing this boat before she 
might be sunk by numbers. There appeared not more than 
a moment for consideration ; to remain and perish with the 
ship's company, to whom I could not be of use any longer, or 
seize the opportunity which seemed the only way of escap- 
ing, and leave the people with whom I had been so well sa- 
tisfied on a variety of occasions that I thought I could give 



LOSS OF THE CENTAUR. 161 

my life to preserve them. This, indeed, was a painful con- 
flict, such as, I believe, no man can describe, nor any have a 
just idea of who has not been in a similar situation. 

The love of life prevailed. I called to Mr. Rainy, the mas- 
ter, the only officer upon deck, to follow me, and immediately 
descended into the boat at the after part of the chains, but not 
without great difficulty got the boat clear of the ship, twice 
the number that the boat would carry pushing to get in, and 
many jumpi;»g into the water. Mr. Baylis, a young gentle- 
man fifteen years of age, leaped from the chains, after the 
boat had got ofi*, and was taken in. The boat falling astern, 
became exposed to the sea, and we endeavored to pull her 
bow round to keep her to the break of the sea, and to pass 
to windward of the ship ; but in the attempt she was nearly 
filled, the sea ran too high, and the only probability of living 
was keeping her before the wind. 

It was then that I became sensible how little, if any, better 
our condition was than that of those who remained in the 
ship ; at best, it appeared to be only a prolongation of a mi- 
serable existence. We were, all together, twelve in number, 
in a leaky boat, with one of the gunwales staved, in nearly 
the middle of the Western Ocean, without a compass, without 
quadrant, without sail, without great-coat or cloak, all very 
thinly clothed, in a gale of wind, with a great sea running ! 
It was now five o'clock in the evening, and in half an hour 
\ye lost sight of the ship. Before it was dark a blanket was 
discovered in the boat. This was immediately bent to one of 
the stretches, and under it, as a sail, we scudded all night, in 
expectation of being swallowed up by every wave, it being 
with great difficulty that Ave could sometimes clear the boat of 
the water before the return of the next great sea ; all of us 
half drowned, and sitting, except those who bailed at the bot- 
tom of the boat ; and, without having really perished, I am 
sure no people ever endured more. In the morning the wea- 
ther grew moderate, the wind having shifted to the southward, 
as we discovered by the sun. Having survived the night, we 
began to recollect ourselves, and to think of our future pre- 
servation. 

When we quitted the ship the wind was at N. W. or N. N. 
W. Fayal had borne E. S. E. 250 or 260 leagues. Had 
the wind continued for five or six days, there was a probabili- 
ty that running before the sea, we might have fallen in with 
some one of the Western Islands. The change of wind was 
death to these hopes ; for, should it come to blow, we knew 

11* 



162 I-OSS OF THE CENTAUR* 

there would be no preserving life but by running before the 
sea, which would carry us again to the northward, where we 
must soon afterward perish. 

Upon examining what we had to subsist on, I found a bag 
of bread, a small ham, a single piece of pork, two quart bot- 
tles of water, and a few of French cordials. The wind con- 
tinued to the southward for eight or nine days, and providen- 
tially never blew so strong but that we could keep the side of 
the boat to the sea: but we were always most r-.iserably wet 
and cold. We kept a sort of reckoning, but the sun and stars 
being somewhat hidden from us for twenty-four hours, we had 
no very correct idea of our navigation. We judged that we 
had nearly an E. N. E. course since the first night's run, 
which had carried us to the S. E. and expected to see the 
island of Corvo. In this, how^ever, w^e were disappointed, and 
we feared that the southerly wind had driven us far to the 
northward. Our prayers were now for a northerly wind. 
Our condition began to be truly miserable, both from hunger 
and cold ; for on the fifth day we had discovered that our 
bread was nearly all spoiled by salt water, and it was neces- 
sary to go on allowance. One biscuit divided into twelve 
morsels, for breakfast, and the same for dinner ; the neck of 
a bottle broken off, with the cork in, served for a glass, and 
this, filled with water, was the allowance for twenty-four 
hours for each man. This was done without any sort of par- 
tiality or distinction ; but we must have perished ere this, had 
we not caught six quarts of rain water ; and this we could 
not have been blessed with, had we not found in the boat a 
pair of sheets, which by accident had been put there. These 
were spread Avhen it rained, and when thoroughly wet, wrung 
into the kidd, with which we bailed the boat. With this short 
allowance, which was rather tantalizing to our comfortless 
condition, we began to grow very feeble, and our clothes being 
continually wet, our bodies were, in many places, chafed in- 
to sores. 

On the 13th day it fell calm, and soon after a breeze of 
wind sprung up from the N. N. W. and blew to a gale, so 
that we ran before the sea at the rate of five or six miles an 
hour under our blanket, till we judged we were to the south- 
ward of Fayal, and to the v/estward 60 leagues; but the wind 
blowing strong, we could not attempt to steer for it. Our 
wishes were now for the wind to shift to the westward. This 
was the fifteenth day we had been in the boat, and we had 
only one day's bread, and one bottle of water remaining of a 



LOSS OF THE CENTAUR. 163 

second supply of rain. Our sufferings were now as great as 
human strength could bear, but we were convinced that good 
spirits were a better support than great bodily strength ; for 
on this day Thomas Matthews, quarter-master, the sto-utest 
man in the boat, perished from hunger and cold ; on the day 
before he had complained of want of strength in his throat, as 
he expressed it, to swallow his morsel, and in the night drank 
salt water, grew delirious, and died without a groan. As it 
became next lo a certainty that we should all perish in the 
same manner in a day or two, it was somewhat comfortable to 
reflect that dying of hunger was not so dreadful as our ima- 
ginations had represented. Others had complained of these 
symptoms in their throats ; some had drank their own urine; 
and all but myself had drank salt water. 

As yet despair and gloom had been successfully prohibited ; 
and as the evenings closed in, the men had been encouraged 
by turns to sing a song or relate a story instead of supper; 
but this evening I found it impossible to raise either. As the 
night came on it fell a calm, and about midnight a breeze of 
wind sprang up, we guessed from the westward by the swell, 
but there not being a star to be seen, we were afraid of run- 
ning out of our way, and waited impatiently for the rising 
sun to be our compass. 

As soon as the dawn appeared we found the wind to be ex- 
actly as we had wished, at W. S. W. and immediately spread 
our sail, running before the sea at the rate of four miles an 
hour. Our last breakfast had been served with the bread and 
water remaining, when John Gregory, quarter-master, de- 
clared with much confidence that he saw land in the S. E. 
We had so often seen fog-banks which had the appearance of 
land, that I did not trust myself to believe it, and cautioned 
the people, (who were extravagantly elated,) that they might 
not feel the effects of disappointment ; till at length one of 
them broke out into a most immoderate swearing fit of joy, 
which I could not restrain, and declared he had never seen 
land in his life if what he now saw was not land. 

We immediately shaped our course for it, though on my 
part with very little faith. The wind freshened, the boat 
Vvent through the water at the rate of five or six miles an 
hour, and in two hours' time the land was plainly seen by eve- 
ry man in the boat, but at a very great distance, so that we 
did not reach it till ten at night. It must have been at least 
twenty leagues from us when first discovered; and I cannot 
help remarking with much thankfulness the providential fa- 
vor shown to us in this instance. 



164 LOSS OF THE CENTAUR. 

In every part of the horizon, except where the land was 
discovered, there was so thick a haze that we could not have 
seen any thing for more than three or four leagues. Fayal, 
by our reckoning, bore E. by N. which course we were steer- 
ing, and in a few hours, had not the sky opened for our pre- 
servation, we should have increased our distance from the 
land, got to the eastward, and of course missed all the island. 
As we approached the land our belief had strengthened that 
it was Fayal. The island of Pico, which might have f eveal- 
ed it to us, had the weather been perfectly clear, was at this 
time capped with clouds, and it was some time before we were 
quite satisfied, having traversed for two hours a great part of 
the island where the steep and rocky shore refused us a land- 
ing. This circumstance was borne with much impatience, 
for we had flattered ourselves that we should meet with fresh 
water at the first part of the island we might approach ; and 
being disappointed, the thirst of some had increased anxiety 
almost to a degree of madness, so that we were near making 
the attempt to land in some places where the boat must have 
been dashed to pieces by the surf At length we discovered a 
fishing canoe, which conducted us into the road of Fayal 
about midnight ; but where the regulation of the port did not 
permit us to land till examined by the health officers ; how- 
ever I did not think much of sleeping this night in the boat, 
our pilot having brought us some refreshments of bread, wine, 
and water. In the morning we were visited by Mr. Graham, 
the English consul, whose humane attention made very am- 
ple amends for the formality of the Portuguese. Indeed I can 
never sufficiently express the sense I have of his kindness 
and humanity, both to myself and people ; for I believe it 
was the whole of his employment for several days to contrive 
the best means of restoring us to health and strength. It is 
true, I believe, there never were more pitiable objects. Some 
of the stoutest men belonging to the Centaur were obliged to 
be supported through the streets of Fayal. Mr. Rainy, the 
master, and myself, were, I think, in better health than the 
rest, but I could not walk without being supported ; and for 
several days, with the best and most comfortable provisions of 
diet and lodging, we grew rather worse than better. 

J. N. INGLEFIELD. 
Fayal, Oct. 13, 1782. 



LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE PRINCE. 165 

LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE FRENCH EAST-INDIA 

COMPANY'S VESSEL, THE PRINCE, 

Bound from V Orient to Pondic lurry, July 26th, 1752. By 
M. D. Ld Fond, one of the Lieutenants of that Ship. 

The French East-India Company's ship, The Prince, com- 
manded by M. Morin, and bound to Pondicherry, weighed 
anchor on the 19th of February, 1752, from the harbor of 
L' Orient. She had scarcely passed the island of St. Michael 
when, the wind shifting, ijt was found impossible to double the 
Turk bank. The utmost efforts and the greatest precautions 
could not prevent her from striking on the bank in such a, 
manner that the mouths of the guns were immersed in the 
water. We announced our misfortune by signals of distress, 
when M. de Godehue, the commander of the port of L' Orient, 
came on board to animate the crew by his presence and his 
orders. All the chests and other articles of the greatest value 
were removed safely into smaller vessels to lighten the ship ; 
the whole night was occupied with the most laborious exer- 
tions. At length the tide in the morning relieved us from our 
dangerous situation, and enaMed us to reach the road of Port 
Louis. We owed the preservation of the ship entirely to the 
prudent directions of M. de Godehue and the measures adopt- 
ed in consequence. The ship had sprung several leaks, but 
fortunately our pumps kept the water under ; half the cargo 
was taken out of the vessel, and in about a week we returned 
to L' Orient, where she was entirely unloaded. She was then 
careened and caulked afresh. These precautions seemed to 
promise a successful voyage, and the misfortune we had al- 
ready experienced showed the strength of the vessel, which 
fire alone appeared capable of destroying. 

On the 10th of June, 1752, a favorable wind carried us out 
of the port, but after a fortunate navigation we met with a dis- 
aster of which the strongest expressions can convey but a 
faint idea. In this narrative I shall confine myself to a brief 
detail, as it is impossible to recollect all the circumstances. 

The 26th of July, 1752, being in the latitude of 8 deg. 30 
min. south, and in longitude 5 deg. west, the wind being S. 
W. just at the moment of taking the observation of the me- 
ridian, I had repaired to the quarter where I was going to 
command, when a man informed me that a smoke Avas seen 
ff, Uc.xM^ from thf! nannpl of the Greater hatchwav. 



i66 LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE PRINCE.' 

Upon this information the first lieutenant, who kept the 
keys of the hold, opened all the hatchways to discover the 
cause of an accident, the slightest suspicion of which frequent- 
ly causes the most intrepid to tremble. The captain, who was 
at dinner in the great cabin, Avent upon deck and gave orders 
for extinguishing the fire. I had already directed several sails 
to be thrown overboard and the hatchways to be covered with 
them, hoping by these means to prevent the air from penetrat- 
ing into the hold. I had even proposed, for the greater secu- 
rity, to let in the water between decks to the height of a foot ; 
but the air, which had already obtained a free passage through 
the openings of the hatchways produced a very thick smoke 
that issued forth in abundance, and the fire continued gradu- 
ally to gain ground. 

The captain ordered sixty or eighty of the soldiers under 
arms to restrain the crew and prevent the confusion likely to 
ensue in such a critical moment. These precautions were 
seconded by M. de la Touche with his usual fortitude and 
prudence. That hero deserved a better opportunity of signa<* 
lizing himself, and had destined his soldiers for other opera- 
tions more useful to his country. 

All hands Avere now employed in getting water ; not only 
the buckets, but likewise the pumps wpve kept at work, anrl 
pipes were carried from them into the hold ; even the water 
in the jars were emptied out. The rapidity of the fire, how- 
ever, baffled our efforts and augmented the general conster- 
nation. 

The captain had already ordered the yawl to be hoisted 
overboard, merely because it was in the way ; four men, 
among whom was the boatswain, took possession of it. They 
had no oars, but called out for some, when three sailors jumped 
overboard and carried them Avhat they stood so much in nee4 
of. These fortunate fugitives were required to return ; they 
cried out that they had no rudder, and desired a rope to be 
thrown them ; perceiving that the progress of the flames left 
them no other resource, they endeavored to remove to a dis- 
tance from the ship, which passed them in consequence of a 
breeze that sprung up. 

All hands were still busy on board ; the impossibility of 
escaping seemed to increase the courage of the men. The 
master boldly ventured down into the hold, but the heat obli- 
ged him to return ; he would have been burnt if a great quan- 
tity of water had not been thrown over him. Immediately 
afterward the flames were seen to issue with impetuosity 



LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE PRINCE. 167 

from the great pannel. The captain ordered the boats over- 
board, but fear had exhausted the strength of the most intre- 
pid. The jolly boat was fastened at a certain height, and 
preparations were made for hoisting her over; but, to com- 
plete our misfortunes, the fire, which increased every mo- 
ment, ascended the main-mast wath such violence and rapidity 
as to burn the tackle , the boat, pitching upon the starboard 
guns, fell bottom upward, and we lost all hope of raising her 
again. 

We now perceived that we had nothing to hope from hu- 
man aid, but only from the mercy of the Almighty. Dejec- 
tion filled every mind; the consternation became general; 
nothing but sighs and groans were heard ; even the animals 
we had on board uttered the most dreadful cries. Every one 
began to raise his heart and hands toward heaven; and in 
tlie certainty of a speedy death, each was occupied only with 
the melancholy alternative between the two elements ready 
to devour us. 

The chaplain, who was on the quarter-deck, gave the gene- 
ral absolution, and went into the gallery to impart the same 
to the unhappy wretches who had already committed them- 
selves to the mercy of the weaves. What a horrible specta- 
cle ! Every one was occupied only in throwing overboard 
whatever promised a momentary preservation ; coops, yards, 
spars, every thing that came to hand was seized with despair, 
and disposed of in the same manner. The confusion was ex- 
treme ; some seemed to anticipate death by jumping into the 
sea, others, by swimming, gained the fragments of the vessel; 
while the shrouds, the yards, and ropes, along the side of the 
ship, were covered with the crew, w^ho were suspended from 
them, as if hesitating between two extremes, equally immi- 
nent and equally terrible. 

Uncertain for what fate Providence intended me, I saw a 
father snatch his son from the flames, embrace him, throw 
him into the sea, then following himself, they perished in each 
other's embrace. I had ordered the helm to be turned to star- 
board; the vessel heeled, and this manoeuvre preserved us 
for some time on that side, while the fire raged on the lar- 
b'ard side from stem to stern. 

Till this moment I had been so engaged that my thoughts 
were directed only to the preservation of the ship; now, how- 
ever, the horrors of a twofold death presented themselves ; 
but, through the kmdness of heaven, my fortitude never for- 
sook me. 1 looked round and foimd myself alone upon the 



168 LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE PRINCE. 

deck. I went into the round-house, where I met M. de la 
Touche, who regarded death with the same heroism that 
procured him success in India. " Farewell, my brother and 
my friend," said he, embracing me. " Why, where are you 
going?" replied I. " I am going (said he) to comfort my 
friend Morin." He spoke of the captain, who was over- 
whelmed with grief at the melancholy fate of his female 
cousins, who were passengers on board his ship, and whom 
he had persuaded to trust themselves to sea in hen-coops, 
after having hastily stripped off their clothes, while some of 
the sailors, swimming with one hand, endeavored to support 
them with the other. 

The yards and masts Avere covered with men struggling 
with the waves around the vessel ; many of them perished 
every moment by the balls discharged by the guns in conse- 
quence of the flames , a third species of death that augmented 
the horrors by which we were surrounded. With a heart 
oppressed with anguish, I turned my eyes away from the sea. 
A moment afterward I entered the starboard gallery, and 
saw the flames rushing with a horrid noise through the win- 
dows of the great cabin and round-house. The fire approach- 
ed, and was ready to consume me; my presence was then 
entirely useless for the preservation of the vesssel, or the re- 
lief of my fellow sufferers. 

In this dreadful situation I thought it my duty to prolong 
my life a few hours, in order to devote them to my God. I 
stripped off my clothes with the intention of rolling doAvn a 
yard, one end of which touched the water; but it was so 
covered with unfortunate wretches, whom the fear of drown- 
ing kept in that situation, that I tumbled over them and fell 
into the sea, recommending myself to the mercy of Provi- 
dence, A stout soldier, who was drowning, caught hold of 
me at this extremity; I employed every exertion to disen- 
gage myself from him, but without effect. I suffered myself 
to sink under the water, but he did not q^uit his hold; I plun- 
ged a second time, and he still held me firmly in his grasp ; 
he was incapable of reflecting that my. death would rather 
hasten his own than be of service to him. At length, after 
struggling a considerable time, his strength was exhausted in 
consequence of the quantity of water he had swallowed, and 
perceiving that I was sinking the third time, and fearing lest 
I should drag him to the bottom along with me, he loosed his 
hold. That he might not catch me again, I dived and rose a 
considerable distance from the spot. 



LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE PRINCE. 169 

This first adventure rendered me more cautious in future : 



I even shunned the dead bodies, which were so numerous 
that, to make a free passage, I was obliged to push them aside 
with one hand, while 1 kept myself above water with the other, 
I imagined that each of them was a man who would assured- 
ly seize and involve me in his own destruction. My strength 
began to fail, and I was convinced of the necessity of resting, 
when I met a piece of the flag-staff. To secure it, I put my 
arm through the noose of the rope, and swam as well as I was 
able. I perceived a yard floating before me, when I approached 
and seized it by the end. At the other extremity I sse\\ a young 
man scarcely able to support himself, and speedily relinquish- 
ed this feeble assistance that amounted to a certain death. The 
sprit-sail yard next appeared in sight ; it was covered with peo- 
ple, and I durst not take a place upon it v/ithout asking per- 
mission, which my unfortunate companions cheerfully granted. 
Some were quite naked, and others in their shirts ; they ex- 
pressed their pity at my situation, and their misfortune put my 
sensibility to the severest test. 

M. IMorin and M. de la Touche, both so worthy of a better 
fate, never quitted the vessel, and were doubtless buried in its 
ruins. Whichever way I turned my eyes the most dismal 
sights presented themselves. The main-mast, burnt away at 
the bottom, fell overboard, killing some, and affording to others 
a precarious resource. This mast I observed covered with 
people, and abandoned to the im.pulse of the waves ; at the 
same moment I perceived two sailors upon a hen-coop with 
some planks, and cried out to them, " My lads, bring the planks 
and swim to me." They approached me, accompanied by se- 
veral others ; and each taking a plank, which we used as oars, 
we paddled along upon the yard, and joined those who had 
taken possession of the main-mast. 

So many changes of situation presented only new specta- 
cles of horror. I fortunately here met with our chaplain, 
who gave me absolution. AVe were in number about eight]/ 
persons, who were incessantly threatened with destruction by 
the balls from the ship's guns. I saw likev/ise on the mast 
two young ladies, by whose piety I was much edifled; there 
were six females on iDoard, and the other four were, in all pro- 
bability, already drowned or burned. Our chaplain, in this 
dreadful situation, melted the most obdurate hearts by his dis- 
course and the example he gave of patience and resignation. 
Seeing him slip from the mast and fall into the sea as I was 
behind him., I lifted him up again. " Let me go, (said he,) 

15 



170 LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE PRINCE. 

I am full of water, and it is only a prolongation of my suffer- 
ings." " No, my friend, (said ],) we will die together when 
my strength forsakes me." In his pious company I awaited 
death with perfect resignation. I remained in this situation 
three hours, and saw one of the ladies fall off the mast with 
fatigue, and perish ; she was too far distant for me to give her 
any assistance. 

When I least expected it, I perceived the yawl close to us ; 
it was then five o'clock, P. M. I cried out to the men in 
her that I was their lieutenant, and begged permission to 
share our misfortune Avith them. They gave me leave to 
come on board, upon condition that I would swim lo them. 
It was their interest to have a conductor, in order to discover 
land ; and for this reason my company was too necessary for 
them to refuse my request. The condition they imposed 
upon me was perfectly reasonable ; they acted prudently not 
to approach, as the others would have been equally anxious 
to enter their little bark ; and we should all have been buried 
together in a watery grave. Mustering, therefore, all my 
strength, I was so fortunate as to reach the boat. Soon after- 
ward I observed the pilot and master, whom I had left on the 
main-mast, follow my example ; they swam for the yaAvl, 
and we took them in. This little bark was the means of sav- 
ing the ten persons who alone escaped out of nearly three 
hundred. 

The flames still continued to consume our ship, from which 
we were not more than half a league distant: our too great 
proximity might prove pernicious, and we, therefore, pro- 
ceeded a little to windward. Not long after, the fire commu- 
nicated to the powder-room, and it is impossible to describe 
the noise with which our vessel blew up. A thick cloud in- 
tercepted the light of the sun ; amidst this horrid darkness 
we could perceive nothing but large pieces of flaming wood 
projecting into the air, and whose fall threatened to dash to 
pieces numbers of unhappy vrretches still struggling with the 
agonies of death. We ourselves were not quite out of dan- 
ger ; it was not impossible but that one of the flaming frag- 
ments might reach us, and precipitate our frail vessel to the 
bottom. The Almighty, however, preserved us from that mis- 
fortune ; but what a 'spectacle now presented itself! The 
vessel had disappeared ; its fragments covered the sea to a 
great distance, and floated in all directions with our unfortu- 
nate companions, whose despair and whose lives had been 
terminated together by their fall. We saw some completely 



L 



LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE PRINCE. 171 

suffocated, others mangled, half-burned, and still preserving 
sufficient life to be sensible of the accumulated horrors of 
their fate. 

Through the mercy of heaven I retained my fortitude, and 
proposed to make toward the fragments of the wreck to seek 
provisions and to pick up any other articles we might Avant. 
We were totally unprovided, and were in danger of perishing 
with famine ; a death more tedious and more painful than that 
of our companions. We found several barrels, in which we 
hoped to find a resource against this pressing necessity, but 
discovered, to our mortification, that it was part of the powder 
which had been thrown overboard during the conflagration. 

Night approached, but we providentially found a cask of 
brandy, about fifteen pounds of salt pork, a piece of scarlet 
cloth, twenty yards of linen, a dozen of pipe-staves, and a few 
ropes. It grew dark, and we could not wait till day-light, in 
our present situation, without exposing ourselves a hundred 
times to destruction among the fragments of the wreck, from 
which we had not yet been able to disengage ourselves. We 
therefore rowed away from them as speedily as possible in 
order to attend to the equipment of our new vessel. Every 
one fell to work with the utmost assiduity; w^e employed every 
thing, and took off the inner sheathing of our boat for the sake 
of the planks and nails ; we drew from the linen what thread 
we wanted ; fortunately one of the sailors had two needles ; 
our scarlet cloth served us for a sail, an oar for a mast, and 
a plank for a rudder. Notwithstanding the darkness, our 
equipment was in a short time as complete as circumstances 
would permit. The only difficulty that remained was how to 
direct our course; we had neither charts nor instruments, 
and were nearly two hundred leagues from land. We resign- 
ed ourselves to the Almighty, whose assistance we implored 
in fervent prayers. 

At length we raised our sail, and a favorable wind removed 
us for ever from the floating corpses of our unfortunate com- 
panions. In this manner we proceeded eight days and eight 
nights without perceiving land, exposed, stark naked, to the 
burning rays of the sun by day, and to intense cold by night. 
The sixth day a shower of rain inspired us with the hope of 
some relief from the thirst by which we were tormented; we 
endeavored to catch the little water that fell in our mouths and 
hands. We sucked our sail, but having been before soaked 
in sea-water, it communicated the bitter taste of the latter to 
the rain which it received. If, however, the rain had been 



172 LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE PRINCE. 

more violent, it might have abated the M^ind that impelled 
us, and a calm would have been attended with inevitable de- 
struction. 

That we might steer our course with greater certainty, we 
consulted every day the rising and setting of the sun and 
moon ; and the stars showed us what wind we ought to take. 
A very small piece of salt pork furnished us one meal in the 
twenty-four hours ; and from this even we were obliged to 
desist on the fourth day, on account of the irritation of blood 
which it occasioned. Our only beverage was a glass of bran- 
dy from time to time ; but that liquor burned our stomachs 
without allaying our thirst. We saw abundance of flying fish, 
but the impossibility of catching them rendered our misery 
still more acute ; we Avere therefore obliged to be contented 
with our provisions. The uncertainty with respect to our fate, 
the want of food, and the agitation of the sea, combined to de- 
prive us of rest, and almost plunged us into despair. Nature 
seemed to have abandoned her functions ; a feeble ray of hope 
alone cheered our minds and prevented us from envying the 
fate of our deceased companions. 

I passed the eighth night at the helm ; I remained at my 
post more than ten hours, frequently desiring lo be relieved, 
till at length I sunk down with fatigue. My miserable com- 
rades were equally exhausted, and despair began to take pos- 
session of our souls. At last, when just perishing with fatigue, 
misery, hunger, and thirst, we discovered land by the first 
rays of the sun, on Wednesday, the 3d of August, 1752. Only 
those who have experienced similar misfortunes can form an 
adequate conception of the change which this discovery pro- 
duced in our minds. Our strength returned, and we took pre- 
cautions not to be carried away by the currents. At two P. M. 
we reached the coast of Brazil, and entered the bay of Tres- 
son, in latitude 6 deg. 

Our first care, upon setting foot on shore, was to thank the 
Almighty for his favors ; we threw ourselves upon the ground, 
and in the transports of our joy rolled ourselves in the sand. 
Our appearance was truly frightful, our figures preserved no- 
thing human that did not more forcibly announce our misfor- 
tunes. Some were perfectly naked, others had nothing but 
shirts that were rotten and torn to rags, and I had fastened 
round my waist a piece of scarlet cloth, in order to appear at 
the head of my companions. We had not yet, however, ar- 
rived at the end of our hardships ; although rescued from the 
greatest of our dangers, that of an uncertain navigation, we 



LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE PRINCE. 173 

were still tormented by hunger and thirst, and in cruel sus^ 
pense whether we should find this coast inhabited by men 
susceptible of sentiments of compassion. 

We were deliberating which way we should direct our 
course, when about fifty Portuguese, most of whom were arm- 
ed, advanced toward us, and inquired the reason of our landing. 
The recital of our misfortunes was a sufficient answer, at onee 
announced our wants, and strongly claimed the sacred rights 
of hospitality. Their treasures were not the object of our de- 
sire, the necessities of life were all that we wanted. Touched 
by our misfortunes, they blessed the power that had preserved 
us, and hastened to conduct us to their habitations. Upon the 
way we came to a river, into which all my companions ran 
to throw themselves, in order to allay their thirst ; they rolled 
in the water with extreme delight, and bathing was in the se- 
quel, one of the remedies of which we made the most frequent 
use, and which at the same time contributed most to the res- 
toration of our health. 

The principal person of the place came and conducted us 
to his house, about half a league distant from the place of our 
landing. Our charitable host gave us linen shirts and trow- 
sers, and boiled some fish, the water of which served us for 
broth, and seemed delicious. After this frugal repast, though 
sleep was equally necessary, yet we prepared to render solemn 
thanks to the Almighty. Hearing that, at the distance of half 
a league, there was a church dedicated to St. Michael, we re- 
paired thither, singing praises to the Lord, where we pre- 
sented the homage of our gratitude to Him to whom ^ve were 
so evidently indebted for our preservation. The badness of 
the road had fatigued us so much that we were obliged to rest 
in the village ; our misfortunes, together Avith such an edifying 
spectacle, drew all the inhabitants around us, and every one 
hastened to fetch us refreshments. After resting a short time^ 
we returned to our kind host, who at night furnished us with 
another repast of fresh fish. As we wanted more invigorating 
food, we purchased an ox, which we had in exchange for 
twenty-five quarts of brandy. 

We had to go to Paraiba, a journey of fifteen leagues, bare- 
footed, and Avithout any hope of meeting v/ith good provisions 
on the way ; we therefore took the precaution of smoke-dry- 
ing our meat and adding to it a provision of flour. After rest- 
ing three days, we departed under an escort of three soldiers. 
We proceeded seven leagues the first day, and passed the 
night at the house of a man who received us kindly. The 

15* 



174 LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE PRINCH. 

next evening a sergeant, accompanied by twenty-nine soldierisv 
eame to meet us for the purpose of conducting and presenting 
us to the commander of the fortress ; that worthy officer re- 
ceived us graciously, gave us an entertainment, and a boat to 
go to Paraiba. It was midnight when we arrived at that town • 
a Portuguese captain was waiting to present us to the gover- 
nor, who gave us a gracious reception and furnished us with 
all the comforts of life. We there reposed for three days ; but 
being desirous of reaching Fernambuc,* to take advantage of 
,a Portuguese fleet that was expected to sail every day, in or- 
der to return to Europe, the governor ordered a corporal to 
conduct us thither. My feet were so lacerated that I could 
scarcely stand, and a horse was therefore provided for me. 

At length, after a journey of four days, w^e entered the town 
of Fernambuc, My first business was to go with my people 
to present myself to the general, Joseph de Correa, who con- 
descended to give us an audience ; after which Don Francisco 
Miguel, a captain of a king's ship, took us in his boat to pro- 
cure us the advantage of saluting the admiral of the fleet, 
Don Juan d'Acosta de Porito. During the fifty days that we 
remained at Fernambuc that gentleman never ceased to load 
me with new favors and civilities. His generosity extended 
to all my companions in misfortune, to soAe of whom he even 
gave appointments in the vessels of his fleet. 

On the 5th of October we set sail, and arrived without any 
accident at Lisbon, on the 17th of December. On the 2d of 
January our consul, M. du Vernay, procured me a passage in 
a vessel bound to Morlaix. The master and myself went on 
board together, the rest of my companions being distributed 
among the ships. I arrived at Morlaix on the 2d of February. 
My fatigues obliged me to take a few days' rest in that place, 
from whence I repaired on the 10th to L' Orient, overwhelmed 
with poverty, having lost all that I possessed in the world, 
after a service of twenty-eight years, and with my heahh 
greatly impaired by the hardships I had endured. 

* Pernambucov 



LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE HIBERNIA. 175 

LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE HIBERNIA, 

Bound for Van DieraavJs Land, iciih passengers. The fol- 
lovjing is from a letter of Mr. James Easby, milhorighif 
Richmond, Yorkshire, one of the passengers. 

On the 5th of February, about eleven o'clock, A. M. an 
alarm of fire was given, Avhich was ascertained to be but too 
true. The second mate, who acted as steward, had gone into 
the state-room, and while in the act of drawing a bucket of 
rum, let a lighted candle fall into the spirits ; and instead of 
giving the alarm, endeavored to extinguish the flames by- 
throwing about the store-room the blazing spirits, which dread- 
fully burnt his legs and arms, and set fire to a quantity of tar, 
pitch, spirits, straw, &c. As soon as an alarm was given the 
deck was scuttled, and water poured in — every exertion was 
used to arrest the all-devouring element, but to no purpose ; 
in less than two hours all hopes of saving either ship or car- 
go were abandoned, as between decks and lower-holds were 
full of smoke and the flames were breaking through between 
th-e decks. The captain now ordered the boats to be launch- 
ed, which was done. Giving me some books, charts, &c. he 
ordered me to get into the long boat, and take care of the few 
provisions which were saved from the sailors' forecastle and 
cabin. O what a scene of horror now took place ! Some 
were seen dressed up in their best clothes, as if going to a 
ball ; others were profaning God's name with the m.ost awful 
execrations , while some were on their knees supplicating his 
mercy. 

" 'Now shrieked the timid ^ 
" And stood still the brave." 

There were two hundred and thirty-two souls on board, and 
the boats would not hold more than a third of that number ; 
they were filled in a moment, and dropt astern. As the ship 
was still going, we drifted away, picking up a few who swam 
from the ship, or floated on pieces of timber. The whole of 
the sails and masts of the noble Hibemia were now in flames, 
and in a few minutes fell into the sea. And now a most dread- 
ful scene presented itself — all endeavoring to get upon the 
masts, with the expectation of being picked up by the boats, 
that being the only sad alternative, the flames or a watery 
grave. Those who got upon the rafts had neither vi^ater nor 
provisions, and if not picked up, would linger out a painful 



176 LOSS, BY FIRE, OF THE HIBERNfA. 

existence, and at last be starved to death, there being littlei 
chance of any ship coming that way. We were now fifty de- 
grees south latitude, and twenty degrees west longitude, in 
the south-east trade winds, having a fair wind for Pernambu- 
eo, on the Brazilian coast. We all met, that is, the boats, 
and determined to make, if possible, Pernambuco, though at 
a distance of twelve hundred miles, and having very little 
provisions and no water. It was most heart-rending to see so 
many in distress and unable to relieve them, the boats being 
quite filled, and the long boat in a leaky state, required eight 
men to bail the water to keep her afloat. We rigged out a 
jury-mast, and with the aid of a top-gallant sail were enabled 
to make a good head-way. The Hibernia was not more than 
one mile from us to windward — many poor creatures cling- 
ing to the bowsprit to keep them from the flames as long as 
possible, waving their hats for us to go and receive them. 
The doctor and four sisters were clinging to a rope at the 
stern of the ship. We would fain have taken them in, but the 
captain told us it would be at the expense of our own lives; 
so we abandoned all hope of saving them. By the help of 
an old bed-tick we lengthened our sail, and in a little time lost 
sight of the Hibernia, and all our property, and all our hopes. 
Next morning the chief mate in the pinnace left us, and we 
saw him no more, he having on board seventeen souls. We 
had given him charts, compass and sextant to navigate with. 
We had nothing to eat from breakfast until the next day at 
twelve o'clock, and then only two table-spoonsfull of brandy, 
and two ounces of preserved beef, night and morning for se- 
ven da3'S. On the night of the 6th, a man died from fatigue 
and hunger. On the captain taking his observations at twelve 
o'clock, he informed us that we were four hundred and nine- 
ty miles from Pernambuco, with a light breeze. We had no 
water the whole time, and gave up all hopes of ever again 
setting feet on land. On this day we killed one of the three 
small pigs which we had on board — eating it raw, and supping 
the blood with as much eagerness as if it had been wine. 
Hunger is fine sauce, but our hunger was nothing to our 
thirst. Had I been possessed of a thousand Avorlds, I would 
willingly have given them for a draught of water. Many of 
them drank sea-water though warned against it — several of 
them became delirious. There were fifty-two souls on board 
beside eleven in the captain's gig, which we had in tow. 

At twenty minutes past three o'clock, the man at the helm, 
to the joy of all, cried out, "A sail a-head!" We stood 



i 



LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY. 177 

down upon her, after hoisting a sailor's red shirt as a signal 
of distress ; but all hopes were again lost, as the ship had not 
seen us, when Ave completely despaired ; but, to the great joy 
of all, we perceived her mizzen topsail leached, and her main- 
sail hauled up. We then shouted for joy, and in twenty mi- 
nutes we spoke her. She was the Lotus, of Whitby, from 
Portsmouth, with convicts and soldiers for Van Dieman's Land. 
They took us on board, gave us some water and provisions; 
but an old Major ordered us into our boats again : we made 
a stand to a man, and declared Ave Avould rather the soldiers 
would run us through than go to sea again in so leaky a ves- 
sel. The captain of the Lotus ordered the carpenter to in- 
spect her, and he declared her not sea-AA^orthy ; he then sunk 
her, and sent the gig adrift, and Ave Avent on board a good ship. 
The sailors Avere kind to us ; the carpenter gave me his bed 
and some clothes, as all I had on at the time the fire happen- 
ed Avere a cap, shirt, troAvsers and shoes. I saved my AA'atch, 
and this is all the property that I am possessed of. The Lo- 
tus landed us at St. Domingo, to the care of the British Con- 
sul, Avho, I am happy to say, is a good man ; he ordered us 
plenty of meat and a pint of wine after dinner ; God knows, 
we had much need of it. The Consul has chartered the 
Adelaide, of Dundee, to take us forAvard to Hobart ToAvn, at 
government expense. There is noAV a subscription on foot, 
to be paid us, on our arrival at Van Dieman's Land, by the 
Governor. There is also a subscription set on foot by the 
English merchants. The Methodists have also behaved hand- 
somely to us. 

Yours, J. EASBY. 



LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY, 

OF LONDON; 

Wrecked on Boon-Island, near New-England, December 
Wth, 1710; and the Sufferings, Preservation, and Deli- 
verance of the Crew. By Captain John Dean. 

The Nottingham Galley, of and from London, of 120 
tons, ten guns, fourteen men, John Dean, commander, haiung 
taken cordage in England, and butter, cheese, &c. in Ire- 



178 LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY. 

land, sailed for Boston, in New-England, the 25tli of Septem- 
ber, 1710. Meeting with contrary winds and bad weather, it 
was the beginning of December when we first made land to 
the eastward of Piscataqua, and proceeding southward for the 
bay of Massachusetts, under a hard gale of wind at north- 
east, accompanied with rain, hail, and snow, having no obser- 
vation for ten or twelve days, we, on the 11th, handed all our 
sails, excepting our fore-sail and maintop-sail double-reefed, 
ordering one hand forAvard to look out. Between eight and 
nine o'clock, going forward myself, I saw the breakers ahead, 
whereupon I called out to put the helm hard to starboard ; but 
before the ship could wear we struck upon the east end of the 
rock called Boon-Island, four leagues to the eastward of Pis- 
cataqua. 

The second or third sea heaved the ship along side of it: 
running likewise so very high, and the ship laboring so exces- 
sively, that w^e were not able to stand upon deck ; and though 
it was not distant above thirty or forty yards, yet the weather 
was so thick and dark that we could not see the rock, so that 
we were justly thrown into consternation at the melancholy 
prospect of immediately perishing in the sea. I presently 
called all hands down to the cabin, where we continued a few 
minutes, supplicating the mercy of heaven ; but knowing that 
prayers, without personal efforts, are vain, I ordered all up 
again to cut the masts by the board ; but several were so op- 
pressed by the terrors of conscience that they were incapa- 
ble of any exertion. We, however, went upon deck, cut the 
weathermost shrouds, and the ship heeling toward the rocks, 
the force of the sea soon broke the masts, so that they fell 
right toward the shore. 

One of the men w^ent out on the bowsprit, and returning, 
told me he saw something black ahead, and would venture 
to get on shore, accompanied with any other person : upon 
which I desired some of the best swimmers (my mate and one 
more) to go with him, and if they gained the rock, to give no- 
tice by their calls, and direct us to the most secure place. Re- 
collecting some money and papers that might be of use, also 
ammunition, brandy, &c. I then went down and opened the 
place where they were ; but the ship bulging, her decks 
opened, her back broke, and her beams gave way, so that the 
stern sunk under water. I was, therefore, hastened forward 
to escape instant death, and having heard nothing of the men 
who had gone before, concluded them lost. Notwithstanding, 
I was under the necessity of making the same adventure upon 



LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY. 179 

the fore mast, moving gradually forward betwixt every sea, 
till at last quitting it, I threw myself with all the strength I 
had toward the rock ; but it being low water, and the rock 
extremely slippery, I could get no hold, and tore my fingers, 
hands, and arms in the most deplorable manner, every wash 
of the sea fetching me off again, so that it was with the ut- 
most peril and difficulty that I got safe on shore at last. The 
rest of the men ran the same hazards, but, through the mercy 
of Providence, we all escaped with our lives. 

After endeavoring to discharge the salt water, and creeping 
a little way up the rock, I heard the voices of the three men 
above mentioned, and by ten o'clock we all met together, 
when, with grateful hearts, we returned humble thanks to 
Providence for our deliverance from such imminent danger. 
We then endeavored to gain shelter to the leeward of the 
rock, but found it so small and inconsiderable that it Avould 
afford none, (being about one Imndred yards long and fifty 
broad,) and so very craggy that we could not walk to keep 
ourselves warm, the Aveather still continuing extremely cold, 
with snow and rain. 

As soon as daylight appeared I went toward the place 
where we came on shore, not doubting but that we should 
meet w*ith provisions enough from the Avreck for our support, 
but found only some pieces of the masts and yards among 
some old junk and cables congered together, w^hich the an- 
chors had prevented from being carried away, and kept mo- 
ving about the rock at some distance. Part of the ship's 
stores, with some pieces of plank and timber, old sails, can- 
vass, &c. drove on shore, but nothing eatable, excepting some 
small pieces of cheese which we picked up among the rock- 
weed, in the Avhole to the quantity of three small cheeses. 

We used our utmost endeavors to get fire, having a steel 
and flint v>'ith us, and also by a drill with a very swift motion ; 
but having nothing but what had long been water-soaked, all 
our attempts proved ineffectual. 

At night we stowed one upon another, under our canvass, 
m the best manner possible, to keep each other warm. The 
next day the weather clearing a little, and inclining to frost, I 
went out, and perceiving the main land, I knew where we 
were, and encouraged my men with the hope of being disco- 
vered by fishing shallops, desiring them to search for and 
bring up what planks, carpenter's tools, and stores they could 
find, in order to build a tent and a boat. The cook then com- 
plained that he was almost starved, and his countenance dis- 



180 ^.«SS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY. 

eovering his illness, I ordered him to remain behind with two 
or three more whom the frost had seized. About noon the 
men acquainted me that he was dead ; we therefore laid him 
in a convenient place for the sea to carry him aAvay. None 
mentioned eating him, though several, with myself, afterward 
acknowledged that they had thoughts of it. 

After we had been in this situation two or three days, the 
frost being very severe, and the weather extremely cold, it 
seized most of our hands and feet to such a degree as to take 
away the sense of feeling and render them almost useless, 
so benumbing and discoloring them as gave us just reason to 
apprehend mortification. We pulled off our shoes, and cut 
off our boots; but in getting off our stockings, many, whose 
legs were blistered, pulled off skin and all, and some, the 
nails of their toes. We then wrapped up our legs and feet as 
warmly as we could in oakum and canvass. 

We now began to build our tent in a triangular form, each 
side being about eight feet, covered it with the old sails and 
canvass that came on shore, having just room for each to lie 
down on one side, so that none could turn, excepting all turn- 
ed, which was about every two hours, upon notice given. We 
also fixed a staff to the top of our tent, upon which, as often 
as the weather would permit, we hoisted a piece of cloth in 
the form of a flag, in order to discover ourselves to any vessel 
that might approach. 

We then commenced the building of our boat with planks 
and timber belonging to the wreck. Our only tools were the 
blade of a cutlas made into a saw with our knives, a hammer, 
and a caulking mallet. We found some nails in the clefts of 
the rocks, and obtained others from the sheathing. We laid 
three planks flat for the bottom, and tAvo upon each side, fixed 
to stanchions and let into the bottom timbers with two short 
pieces at each end, and one breadth of new Holland duck 
round the sides to keep out the spray of the sea. We caulk- 
ed all we could with oakum drawn from the old junk, and in 
other places filled up the distances with long pieces of can- 
vass, all of which we secured in the best manner possible. We 
found also some sheet-lead and pump-leather, which proved 
of use. We fixed a short mast and square sail, with seven 
paddles to row, and another longer to steer. But our carpen- 
ter, whose services were now most wanted, was, by reason of 
illness, scarcely capable of affording us either assistance or 
advice; and all the rest, excepting myself and two more, 
were so benumbed and feeble as to be unable to stir. The 



i 



LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALL*" . 181 

weather, too, was so extremely cold, that we could seldom 
stay out of the tent above four hours in the day, and some 
days we could do nothing at all. 

When we had been upon the rock about a week, without 
any kind of provisions, excepting the cheese above mentioned, 
and some beef bones, which we ate, after beating them to pie- 
ces, we saw three boats about five leagues from us, which, 
as may easily be imagined, rejoiced us not a little, believing 
that the period of our deliverance had arrived. I directed all 
the men to creep out of the tent and halloo together, as loud 
as their strength would permit. We likewise made all the 
signals we could, but in vain, for they neither heard nor saw 
us. We, however, received no small encouragement from 
the sight of them, as they came from the south-west ; and the 
wind being at north-east when we were cast away, we had 
reason to suppose that our distress might have been made 
known by the wreck driving on shore, and to presume that 
they were come out in search of us, and would daily do so 
when the weather should permit. Thus we flattered ourselves 
with the pleasing but delusive hope of deliverance. 

lust before we had finished our boat, the carpenter's ax 
was cast upon the rock, by which we were enabled to com- 
plete our work, but then we had scarcely strength sufficient to 
get her into the water. 

About the 21st of December, the boat being finished, the 
day fine, and the water smoother than I had yet seen it since 
we came there, we consulted who should attempt to launch 
her- I offered myself as one to venture in her ; this was 
agreed to, as I was the stronfrest, and therefore the fittest to 
undergo' the extremities to which we might possibly be re- 
duced. My mate also ofl^ered himself, and desiring to accom- 
pany me, I was permitted to take him, together with my 
brother and four more. Thus commending our enterprise to 
Providence, all that were able came out, and with much dif- 
ficulty got our poor patched-up boat to the water side. The 
surf running very high, we were obliged to wade very deep 
to launch her, upon which I and another got into her. The 
swell of the sea heaved her along shore and overset her upon 
us, whereby we again narrowly escaped drowning. Our poor 
boat vras staved all to pieces, our enterprise totally disappoint- 
ed, and our hopes utterly destroyed. 

What heightened our afPxictions, and served to aggravate 
our miserable prospects, and render our deliverance less prac- 
ticable, we lost, with our boat, both our ax and hammer, which 

16 



182 LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY. 

would have been of great use to us if we should afterward have 
attempted to construct a raft. Yet we had reason to admire the 
goodness of God in producing our disappointment for our 
safety ; for, that afternoon, the Avind springing up, it blew so 
hard that, had we been at sea in that imitation of a boat, we 
must, in all probability, have perished, and those left behind, 
being unable to help themselves, must doubtless soon have 
shared a similar fate. 

We were now reduced to the most melancholy and deplo- 
rable situation imaginable ; almost every man but myself was 
weak to an extremity, nearly starved with hunger, and pe- 
rishing with cold ; their hands and feet frozen and mortified ; 
large and deep ulcers in their legs, the smell of which was 
highly offensive to those who could not creep into the air, 
and nothing to dress them with but a piece of linen that Avas 
cast on shore. We had no fire ; our small stock of cheese 
was exhausted, and we had nothing to support our feeble bo- 
dies but rockweed and a few muscles, scarce and difficult to 
be procured, at most not above two or three for each man 
a-day ; so that our miserable bodies were perishing, and our 
disconsolate spirits overpowered by the deplorable prospect 
of starvation, without any appearance of relief. To aggra- 
vate our situation, if possible, vv'e had reason to apprehend 
lest the approaching tide, if accompanied with high winds, 
should entirely overflow us. The horrors of such a situation 
it is impossible to describe ; the pinching cold and hunger ; 
extremity of weakness and pain ; racking and horrors of con- 
science in many; and the prospect of a certain, painful, and 
lingering death, Avithout even the most remote A'iews of de- 
liverance ! This is, indeed, the height of misery ; yet such, 
alas ! Avas our deplorable case ; insomuch that the greater 
part of our company AA'ere ready to die of horror and despair. 

For my part I did my utmost to encourage mj^self and ex- 
hort the rest to trust in God, and patiently await their deli- 
verance. Asa slight alleviation of our faith, Providence di- 
rected tOAA-ard our quarters a sea-gull, AA^hich my mate struck 
down and joyfully brought to me. I divided^ it into equal 
portions, and though raw, and scarcely affording a mouthful 
for each, yet Ave received and ate it thankfully. 

The last method of rescuing ourselves aa'c could possibly 
devise, AA-as to construct a raft capable of carry in o- tAA'o men. 
Thi-3 proposal was strongly supported by a Swede, one of our 
men, a stout brave fellow, Avho, since our disaster, had lost 
the use of both his feet by the frost. Fie frequently impor- 



LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY. 183 

tuned me to attempt our deliverance in that way, offering him- 
self to accompany me, or, if I refused, to go alone. After de- 
liberate consideration we resolved upon a raft, but found great 
difficulty in clearing the fore-yard, of which it was chiefly to 
be made, from the junk, as our working hands were so few 
and weak. 

This done, we split the yard, and with the two parts made 
side-pieces, fixing others, and adding some of the largest planks 
we could find, first spiking, and afterward making them firm. 
The raft was four feet in breadth^ We fixed up a mast, and 
out of two hammocks that were driven on shore we made a 
sail, with a paddle for each man, and a spare one in case of 
necessity. This difficulty being thus surmounted, the Swede 
frequently asked me whether I designed to accompany him, 
giving me to understand that, if I declined, there was another 
ready to offer himself for the enterprise. 

About this time we saw a sail come out of Piscataqua river, 
about seven leagues to the westward. We again made all the 
signals we could, but the wind being north-west, and the ship 
standing to the eastward, she was presently out of sight, with- 
out ever coming near us, which proved an extreme mortifica- 
tion to our hopes. The next day, being moderate, with a small 
breeze right on shore in the afternoon, and the raft being 
wholly finished, the two men were very anxious to have it 
launched; but this was as strenuously opposed by the mate, 
because it was too late, being two in the afternoon. They, 
however, urged the lightness of the nights, begged me to suf- 
fer them to proceed, and I at length consented. They both 
got upon the raft, when the swell, rolling very high, soon 
overset them, as it did our boat. The Swede, not daunted by 
this accident, swam on shore, but the other, being no swim- 
mer, continued some time under water ; as soon as he appeared 
I caught hold of and saved him, but he was so discouraged 
that he was afraid to make a second attempt. I desired the 
Swede to wait a more favorable opportunity, but he continued 
resolute, begged me to go with him, or help him to turn the 
raft, and he would go alone. 

By this time another man came down and offered to adven- 
ture ; when they were upon the raft I launched them ofl^ they 
desiring us to go to prayers, and also to watch what became 
of them. I did so, and by sun«et judged them half way to the 
main, and supposed that they might reach the shore by two 
in the morning. They, however, probably fell in with some 
breakers, or were overset by the violence of the sea and pe- 



184 LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY. 

rished ; for two days afterward the raft was found on shore, 
and one man dead about a mile from it, with a paddle fastened 
to his wrist ; but the Swede, who was so very forward to ad- 
venture, was never heard of more. 

We, who were left upon the desolate island, ignorant of 
what had befallen them, waited daily for deliverance. Our 
expectations were the more raised by a smoke we observed, 
two days afterward, in the wood, which was the signal ap- 
pointed to be made if they arrived safe. This continued dai- 
ly, and we were willing to believe that it was made on our 
account, though we saw no appearance of any thing toward 
our relief. We supposed that the delay was occasioned by 
their not being able to procure a vessel so soon as we desired, 
and this idea served to bear up our spirits and to support us 
greatly. 

Still our principal want was that of provision, having no? 
thing to eat but rock-weed and a few muscles ; indeed, when 
the spring tide was over we could scarcely get any at all ; I 
have myself gone, as no other person was able, several days, 
at low water, and could find no more than two or three a-piece. 
I was frequently in danger of losing- my hands and arms, by 
putting them so often into the water after the muscles, and 
when obtained, my stomach refused them, and preferred 
rock-weed. 

' Upon our first arrival we saw several seals upon the rock, 
and supposing they made harbor there in the night, I walked 
round at midnight, but could never meet with any thing. We 
saw likewise a great number of birds, which perceiving us 
daily there, would never lodge upon the rock, so that we 
caught none. 

This disappointment was severe, and tended to aggravate 
our miseries still more ; but it was particularly afflicting to a 
brother I had with me, and another young gentleman, neither 
of whom had before been at sea, or endured any kind of hard- 
ship. They were now reduced to the last extremity, having 
no assistance but what they received from me. 

Part of a green hide, fastened to a piece of the main-yard, 
being thrown up by the sea, the men importuned me to bring 
it to the tent, which being done, we minced it small and swal- 
lowed it. 

About this time I set the men to open junk, and when the 
weather would permit I thatched the tent with the rope-yam 
in the best manner I was able, that it might shelter us the 
better from the extremities of the weather. This proved of 



XOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY. 185 

SO much service as to turn two or three hours rain, and pre- 
serve us from the cold pinching w^inds which were always 
very severe upon us. 

About the latter end of December our carpenter, a fat man, 
and naturally of a dull, heavy, phlegmatic disposition, aged 
about forty-seven, who, from our first coming on shore, had 
been constantly very ill, and lost the use of his feet, complain- 
ed of excessive pain in his back, and stiffness in his neck. 
He was likewise almost choked with phlegm, for want of 
strength to discharge it, and appeared to draw near his end. 
We prayed over him, and used our utmost endeavors to be 
serviceable to him in his last moments ; he showed himself 
sensible, though speechless, and died that night. We suffered 
the body to remain till morning, when I desired those who 
were most able to remove it ; creeping out myself to see whe- 
ther Providence had sent us any thing to satisfy the exces- 
sive cravings of our appetites. Returning before noon, and 
not seeing the dead body without the tent, I inquired why 
they had not removed it, and received for answer, they were 
not all of them able ; upon which, fastening a rope to the bo- 
dy, I gave the utmost of my assistance, and with some diffi- 
culty we dragged it out of the tent. But fatigue and the con- 
sideration of our misery so overcame my spirits, that, be- 
ing ready to faint, I crept into the tent, and was no sooner 
there, than, to add to my trouble, the men began to request 
my permission to eat the dead body, the better to support their 
lives. 

This circumstance was, of all the trials I had encountered, 
the most grievous and shocking : to see myself and company, 
who came hither laden with provisions but three weeks be- 
fore, now reduced to such a deplorable situation ; two of us 
having been absolutely starved to death, while, ignorant of 
the fate of two others, the rest, though still living, were re- 
duced to the last extremity, and requiring to eat the dead for 
their support. 

After mature consideration of the lawfulness or sinfulness 
on the one hand, and absolute necessity on the other, judg- 
ment and conscience were obliged to submit to the more pre- 
vailing arguments of our craving appetites. We at length 
determined to satisfy our hunger, and support our feeble bo- 
dies with the carcass of our deceased companion. I first 
ordered his skin, head, hands, feet, and bowels to be buried 
in the sea, and the body to be quartered, for the convenience 
of drying and carriage; but again received for answer, that, 

16* 



186 LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALttV. 

none of them being able, they entreated I would perform that 
labor for them. This was a hard task ; but their incessant 
prayers and entreaties at last prevailed over my reluctance, 
and by night I had completed the operation. 

I cut part of the flesh into thin slices, and washing it in salt 
water, brought it to the tent and obliged the men to eat rock- 
weed with it instead of bread. My mate and two others re- 
fused to eat any that night, but the next morning they com- 
plied, and earnestly desired to partake with the rest. 

I found that they all ate with the utmost avidity, so that I 
was obliged to carry the quarters farther from the tent, out of 
their reach, lest they should do themselves an injury by eating 
too much, and likewise expend our small stock too soon. 

I also limited each man to an equal portion, that they might 
not quarrel, or have cause to reflect on me or one another. 
This method I was the more obliged to adopt, because in a 
few days I found their dispositions entirely changed, and that 
aflectionate, peaceable temper they had hitherto manifested, 
totally lost. Their eyes looked wild and staring, their coun- 
tenances fierce and barbarous. Instead of obeying my com- 
mands, as they had universally and cheerfully done before, 
I now found even prayers and entreaties vain and fruitless ; 
nothing was now to be heard but brutal quarrels, w Jch horrid 
oaths and imprecations, instead of that quiet submissive spirit 
of prayer and supplication they had before manifested. 

This, together with the dismal prospect of future want, obli- 
ged me to keep a strict watch over the rest of the body, lest 
any of them, if able, should get to it, and if that were spent, 
we should be compelled to feed upon the living, which we cer- 
tainly must have done, had we remained in that situation a 
few days longer. 

The goodness of God now began to appear, and to make 
provision for our deliverance, by putting it into the hearts of 
the good people on the shore, to which our raft was driven, 
to come out in search of us, which they did on the second of 
January, in the morning. 

Just as I was creeping out of the tent I saw a shallop, half 
way from the shore, standing directly toward us. Our joy 
and satisfaction, at the prospect of such speedy and unexpect- 
ed deliverance, no tongue is able to express, or thought to 
conceive. 

Our good and welcome friends came to an anchor to the 
southwest, at the distance of about one hundred yards, the 
swell preventing them from approaching nearer: but their 



LOSS OF THE NOTTINGHAM GALLEY. 187 

anchor coming home, obliged them to stand off till about noon, 
waiting for smoother water upon the flood. Meanwhile our 
passions were differently agitated ; our expectations of deli- 
verance, and fears of miscarriage, hurried our weak and dis- 
ordered spirits strangely. 

I gave them an account of all our miseries excepting the 
want of provisions, which I did not mention, lest the fear of 
being constrained by the weather to remain with us might 
have prevented them from coming on shore. I earnestly en- 
treated them to attempt our immediate deliverance, or at least 
to furnish us, if possible, with fire, which, with the utmost 
difficulty they at last accomplished, by sending a small canoe 
with one man, who, after great exertion, got on shore. 

After helping him up with his canoe, and seeing nothing 
to eat, I asked him if he could give us fire : he answered in 
the affirmative, but was so affrighted by my thin and meagre 
appearance, that at first he could scarcely return me an an- 
swer. However, recollecting himself, after several questions 
asked on both sides, he went with me to the tent, where he 
VTBS surprised to see so many of us in such a deplorable con- 
dition. Our flesh was so wasted and our looks were so 
ghastly and frightful, that it was really a very dismal spec- 
tacle. 

With some difficulty we made a Are, after which, determin- 
ing to go on board myself with the man, and to send for the 
rest, one or two at a time, we both got into the canoe ; but 
the sea immediately drove us against the rock with such vio- 
lence that we were overset, and being very weak, it was a 
considerable time before I could recover myself, so that I had 
again a very narrow escape from drowning. The good man 
with great difficulty got on board without me, designing to re- 
turn the next day with better conveniences, if the weather 
should permit. 

It was an afflicting sight to observe our friends in the shal- 
lop standing away for the shore without us. But God, who 
orders every thing for the best, doubtless had designs of pre- 
servation in denying us the appearance of present deliverance; 
for the wind coming about to south-east, it blew so hard that 
the shallop was lost, and the crew, with extreme difficulty, 
saved their lives. Had we been with them, it is more than 
probable that we should all have perished, not having strength 
sufficient to help ourselves. 

When they had reached the shore they immediately sent 
an express to Portsmouth, in Piscataqua, where the good peo- 



188 SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. 

pie made no delay in hastening to our deliverance, as soon as 
the weather would allow. To our great sorrow, and as a far- 
ther trial of our patience, the next day continued very stormy, 
and though we doubted not but the people on shore knew our 
condition, and would assist us as soon as possible, yet our 
flesh being nearly consumed, being without fresh water, and 
uncertain hoAV long the unfavorable weather might continue, 
our situation was extremely miserable. We, however, re- 
ceived great benefit from our fire, as we could both warm 
ourselves and broil our meat. 

The next day, the men being very importunate for flesh, I 
gave them rather more than usual, but not to their satisfaction. 
They would certainly have eaten up the whole at once, had I 
not carefully watched them, with the intention of sharing the 
rest next morning, if the weather continued bad. The wind, 
however, abated that night, and early next morning a shallop 
came for us, with my much esteemed friends Captain Long 
and Captain Purver, and three more men, who brought a 
large canoe, and in two hours got us all on board, being 
obliged to carry almost all of us upon their backs from the 
tent to the canoe, and fetch us ofi' by two or three at a time. 

When we first came on board the shallop, each of us ate a 
piece of bread and drank a dram of rum, and most of us were 
extremely sea-sick ; but, after we had cleared our stomachs, 
and tasted warm, nourishing food, we became so exceeding- 
hungry and ravenous, that, had not our friends dieted us, and 
limited the quantity for two or three days, we should certainly 
have destroyed ourselves with eating. 

Two days after our coming on shore, my apprentice lost 
the greater part of one foot ; all the rest recovered their limbs, 
but not their perfect use; very few, excepting myself, escap- 
ing without losing the benefit of fingers or toes, though other- 
wise all in perfect health. 



THE SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON 

On the Coast of Barbara/, and of his Captivity among the 
Moors, Written by himself. 

Having made several voyages to Africa, I received an or- 
der in June, 1785, from the Marshal de Castries, then minis- 



SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. 189 

ter and secretary of state for the marine department, to era- 
bark for the island of St. Louis, in the Senegal, in the St. 
Catharine, commanded by M. Le Turc. On the 10th of July 
we passed between the Canary isle and that of Palma, and 
the captain having rejected my advice relative to the caution 
necessary to be observed in those seas, the ship soon afterward 
struck upon shoals. 

A dreadful confusion ensued. The masts being loosened 
by the shock, quivered over our heads, and the sails were torn 
in a thousand pieces. The terror became general ; the cries 
of the sailors, mixed with the terrible roaring of the sea, irri- 
tated, as it were, by the interruption of its course between the 
rocks and the vessel, added to the horrors of the scene. In 
this dangerous state, such was the consternation of the crew, 
that no one thought of saving himself. " O my wife !" cried 
one; "O my dear children!" exclaimed a second; while 
others, extending their hands toward heaven, implored the 
divine protection. In the hope of saving the ship, the masts 
were cut away; but our exertions were of no avail, the hold 
being already filled with water. 

We must inevitably have been lost, had not Mr. Yan, one 
oi the lieutenants ; Mr. Suret, a passenger ; three English sai- 
lors, and a few others, encouraged by my example, assisted 
me to haul out the shallop, and to prevent it afterward from 
being sunk or dashed to pieces against the sides of the ship. 
We were obliged to struggle the whole night against the fury 
of the sea, that when the day appeared we might be able to 
avoid the rocks, by which we were surrounded on all sides, 
and get, if possible, on shore. 

We had scarcely made two strokes with our oars when 
they were swept from the hands of the rowers by the violence 
of the waves ; the shallop was overset ; we were separated in 
an instant, and all, excepting Mr. Devoise, brother to the Con- 
sul at Tripoli, cast upon a sand bank ; I, however, immediate- 
ly threw myself into the water, and was fortunate enough to 
save him from destruction. 

Our unfortunate companions, who had remained on board, 
now saw themselves deprived of every assistance from us ; 
but I soon revived their hopes, by plunging into the waves, 
accompanied by Mr. Yan, whose zeal and activity seconded 
my efforts. He prevailed upon the rest to join in our endea- 
vors to get the shallop afloat again, which we accomplished 
with great difficulty ; but we found ourselves amply repaid 
for our labor when we §et the re^t of the crew on shore. We, 



190 SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. 

however, escaped this first danger only to become the victims 
of a second still more terrible. 

When the wretched crew had reached the shore I per- 
suaded them to climb the surrounding rocks, on the summit 
of which we discovered an extensive plain, terminated by 
some small hills, covered with a kind of wild fern. On these 
hills we saw some children collecting a flock of goats. As 
soon as they beheld the strangers, they set up such outcries 
as instantly alarmed and brought together the neighboring 
inhabitants. These, after viewing the crew, began to dance 
and caper, at the same time uttering the most horrid cries 
and yells. 

When these savages came up, some of my companions, 
among whom were the first and second lieutenants, separated 
from us. They were immediately surrounded and seized by 
the collar, and it was then that, by the reflection of the sun's 
rays from the polished blades of their poniards, we first dis- 
covered them to be armed. As I had not perceived this be- 
fore, I had advanced without fear. 

Our two unfortunate companions having disappeared, I 
could not make the men stop even for a short time. Fear got 
such possession of their hearts, that, giving vent to cries of 
despair, they all fled different ways. The Arabs, armed with 
cutlasses and large clubs, fell upon them with incredible fury, 
and I had the mortification of soon seeing some of them wound- 
ed, while others, stripped naked, lay extended and expiring 
on the sand. 

I was so fortunate as to obtain a promise of good will from 
an unarmed Arab, who afterward proved to be a talbe, or priest, 
by giving him two watches, a gold stock-buckle, two pair of 
sleeve-buttons, a ring set with diamonds, a silver goblet, and 
two hundred and twenty livres in specie. The latter article 
afforded him most pleasure. 

The news of our shipwreck being spread through the coun- 
tr}'-, we saw the savages running in great haste from all quar- 
ters ; their numbers naturally increased the jealousy of the 
others, so that they soon came to blows, and several lives 
were lost in the contest. The women, enraged that they 
could not pillage the ship, fell upon and tore from us the few 
articles of dress we had left ; but their attention was princi- 
pally attracted by mine, which seemed to be more worthy of 
their notice. 

My master, who was by no means of a warlike disposition, 
perceiving that the number of Arabs increased every moment, 



SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. 191 

called aside two of his friends, whom he cunningly admitted 
as partners with him, in the property of twelve of the crew 
who had surrendered themselves to him. After making his 
arrangements, he retired from the crowd, that he might shel- 
ter us from insult. The place which he chose for that pur- 
pose was a wretched hut, covered with moss, at the distance 
of more than a league from the sea ; here we lodged, or rather 
were heaped one upon the other. 

Our patron's first care was to pay us a visit, and to search 
us, lest we should have concealed some of our property. Un- 
luckily for them, my companions had preserved nothing, on 
which account he was in a very ill humor, and showed them 
no mercy. He took from them even their shirts and hand- 
kerchiefs, intimating, that if he did not do them that favor, 
others would. He likewise attempted to pay m.e the same 
compliment, but upon my observing that I had already given 
him enough, I experienced no farther molestation. 

Being as yet ignorant among what tribe we had fallen, I 
addressed myself to our master for information; and partly 
by words, and partly by signs, I put the following questions to 
him: "What is thy name, and that of thy tribe; and why 
didst thou fly from those crowds who advanced toward the 
shores of the sea?" He replied, " My name is Sidy Moham- 
med, of Zowze ; my tribe is that of Lebdesseba, and I fled 
from the Ouadelims, because we are not on good terms with 
one another." I was much affected to find that we had f.illen 
into the hands of the most ferocious people who inhabit the 
deserts of Africa. 

While the talbe repaired to the shore for more plunder, a 
company of Ouadelims discovered and pillaged our retreat, 
and beat us most unmercifully. I was almost at the last 
gasp, when one of the associates of the talbe came and res- 
cued me, and, before a large assembly, afterward claimed me 
as the reward of his valor. The priest made the stronges-t 
objections to this claim, threatening to chastise the claimant, 
Avho replied to the talbe: "Since this is thy pretension, as 
he cannot be mine, he shall perish by my hand." He had 
scarcely pronounced these words when he drew his poniard 
to stab me. I trembled under the threatening dagger of this 
barbarian : but my master, without losing a moment, threw 
over me a kind of chaplet, formed of a long piece of cord, 
upon which are strung a great number of small black balls, 
and theoi took in his hand a small book which hung in his 
girdle. The women at the same instant rushed toward me, 



192 SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. 

snatched me from the hands of the claimant, and delivered 
me into those of the enraged priest, dreading lest he should 
thunder forth an anathema against his antagonist. 

When I had recovered a little tranquility, and began to re- 
flect upon the danger I had escaped, I was so much affected 
that I could not refrain from tears. I endeavored to conceal 
from every eye this testimony of my sensibility and grief: 
but being observed by some of the women, instead of feeling 
compassion, they threw sand in my eyes, " to dry my eye- 
lids," as they said. Fortunately the obscurity of the night 
concealed me from the sight of these monsters, and saved me 
from their fury. 

We had now been three da^^-s in a state of slavery, and 
during that time had taken no nourishment but a little flour, 
which though before spoiled by the sea-water, was rendered 
still more disagreeable by the mixture of barley meal, which 
had long been kept in a goat's skin: and, bad as this repast 
was, it was frequently interrupted by the alarming outcries 
which we heard at a distance. 

The Arab tribe to whom we were prisoners had repaired 
to the sea-coast, a few daj^s before our shipwreck, to collect 
the fruits of wild plants for the support of their families in the 
interior of the country ; but upon the approach of their ene- 
mies, the Ouadelims, they prepared to return home with their 
provisions and prisoners. 

After passing mountains of prodigious height, covered Avith 
small, sharp, greyish flints, we descended into a sandy valley, 
overgrown with sharp thistles. Having here slackened our 
pace, I found that the soles of my feet were entirely covered 
with blood, so that it was impossible for me to proceed any 
farther. My master then made me get up behind him upon 
his camel; but this attention on his part, instead of giving 
me any relief, had quite a contrary effect, and exposed me to 
the severest pain. A camel naturally steps very heavy, and 
his trot is remarkably hard. Being naked, and unable to de- 
fend myself from the friction of the animal's hair, in a very 
little time my skin was entirely rubbed off My blood trick- 
led down the animal's sides, and, instead of exacting pity in 
these barbarians, this sight afibrded them a subject of diver- 
sion. They made sport of my sufferings, and spurred on the 
camels, in order to heighten their enjoyment. My wounds 
would in consequence have been rendered incurable, had I 
not formed the resolution of throwing myself off and walking 
upon the sand. This I accomplished, and sustained no other 




THE CREW OF THE MAGPIE, 

While hanging on their boat, with the exception of two, were attacked 
and devoured by sharks. — p. 213. 




MADAME DENOYER, 

With her servant and child, set adrift in a canoe in the open sea, 
between the Bahama Islands and Cuba.— p 224. 



SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. 193 

injury in the fall than that of being dreadfully pricked by the 
thistles, which covered the whole surface of the ground. 

Toward evening, perceiving a thick smoke, I imagined 
that we were approaching some hamlet, where we should find 
something to eat, and, above all, something to allay our into- 
lerable thirst ; but I soon perceived that there was nothing 
but a few bushes, in Avhich our guide had taken up his lodg- 
ings. Exhausted with fatigue, I retired behind one of them, 
to wait for the relieving hand of death, but had scarcely ex- 
tended myself on the ground, Avhen an Arab of our company 
came and compelled me to get up to unload his camel. This 
insult I resented, and found afterward that it produced a good 
effect. 

I observed preparations making which threw me into the 
greatest inquietude, '-fhey made flints red hot in a large pan, 
raised a huge stone which lay at the foot of a bush, dug up 
the earth; and frequently repeating my name, they all burst 
into loud fits of laughter. Then calling me, they obliged me 
to approach the hole they had dug in the ground, Avhile the 
man whom I had beaten made different signs with his hand, 
often drawing it backward and forward against his throat, as 
if to give me to understand that he would cut it, or that they 
were resolved to serve me in that manner. In spite of my 
resolution, and the determination to defend myself, these ges- 
tures were very alarming ; but my apprehensions were con- 
verted into surprise, when I saw them take from the pit which 
I had approached, a goat's skin full of water, a small leather 
bag, containing barley meal, and a goat newly killed. By 
the sight of those provisions I was restored to my former 
tranquillity, though I was ignorant for what purpose the heat- 
ed flints were intended. At length I saw tliem fill with water 
a large wooden vessel, into which some barley-meal hac 
been put, and the red hot flints being thrown into the water, 
served to make it boil. They then made a kind of paste, 
kneading it afterward with their hands, and swallowed it 
without chevring. 

As for us slaves, we had nothing to eat but some of this 
paste, which was thrown to us upon the carpet used by our 
patron to put under his feet while he repeated his prayers, 
and at niglrt as a matress to sleep on. After kneading this 
leaven a long time, he gave it to me to distribute among my 
companions. It can scarcely be imagined how disagreeable 
it was to the taste. The water with which it was mixed had 
been procured on the sea-shore, and was afterward preserved 

17 



194 SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. 

in a goat's skin, which they had lined with a kind of pitch to 
prevent it from corrupting, by which its smell was rendered 
doubly disgusting. This water was our only drink, and, bad 
as it was, our allowance was extremely scanty. 

At dinner time the next day our masters regaled upon raw 
fat, of which they appeared remarkably fond. As soon as the 
meat was roasted, or rather baked, they took it from the earth, 
and, without taking time to free it from the sand which adhered 
to it, they devoured it with excessive voracity. Having well 
picked the bones, they used their nails to scrape off the re- 
maining flesh, and then threw them to us, telling us at the same 
time to eat quickly and unload the camels, that our journey 
might not be delayed. 

Passing some of the tents, the women, still more ferocious 
than the men, took pleasure in tormenting us, while our mas- 
ters durst scarcely oppose them. Having retired to a small 
distance from my load, I perceived a man taking aim at me 
with a double-barreled fusee, upon which I presented my breast 
to him, desiring him to fire. He was greatly astonished at this 
firmness, and his surprise tended to confirm me in my opinion 
that these people are impressed with respect when a person 
appears not to fear them. I was advancing toward this man, 
when I was struck on the head, and for a few moments de- 
prived of sense, by a stone from an unknown hand, but which 
I suspected to have been thrown by his wife. 

After resting three days among the Arabs of the tribe of 
Roussye, we resumed our journey, penetrating farther into the 
interior of the country, where we were to join the families of 
our conductors. After being exposed for sixteen days to the 
greatest fatigues and dreadful miseries, we at length reached 
the end of our journey, in a most wretched and exhausted 
condition. 

Being observed upon the brow of a hill, several of the black 
slaves, whose principal employment is to tend the camels, 
came to meet our masters, in order to kiss their feet and in- 
quire after their health. As we proceeded, the children made 
the air resound with shouts of joy, and the women standing 
up, out of respect, awaited at the door of their tents the arri- 
val of their husbands. Upon their approach they advanced 
toward them with an air of submission, and each, after pros- 
trating before her husband, laid her right hand on his head 
and kissed it. This ceremony being finished, they began to 
satisfy their curiosity with regard to us, and to load us with 
abuse; but they did not stop here, for, they even spit in our 



SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. 195 

faces, and pelted us with stones. The children imitated their 
example, pinched us, pulled our hair, and scratched us with 
their nails ; their cruel mothers ordered them to attack some- 
times one and sometimes another, taking pleasure in making 
them, torment us. Exhausted with hunger, thirst, and despair, 
we had impatiently -wished for the moment of our arrival, but 
little did w^e foresee the new torments that awaited us. 

After our masters had divided their slaves, the favorite wife 
of the talbe ordered M. Devoise, M. Baudre, and myself, who 
had fallen to her husband's share, to unload the camels, to 
clean a kettle which she brought us, and to pull up some roots 
to make a fire. While thus employed in signifying her will 
to us, her husband Avas quietly enjoying a sound sleep on the 
knees of one of his concubines. 

The hope of soon regaining my liberty inspired me with 
sufficient fortitude to endure the hardships imposed upon me 
by this diabolical woman. I therefore went to collect some 
wood, but Avhat was my surprise, when upon my return I be- 
held my two companions, who had been dreadfully beaten, ex- 
tended on the sand. They had been subjected to this cruel treat- 
ment because their strength being entirely exhausted, they had 
been unable to perform the task assigned them. My repeated 
outcries awakened my master, and though, as yet, I spoke the 
language very imperfectly, I endeavored to address him in the 
following terms : " Have you conducted us hither to cause us 
to be butchered by a cruel Avoman ? Think of your promise. 
Conduct mfi. without delay, either to Senegal or Morocco: if 
you do not, I will cause all the eflects I gave you to be taken 
away." 

My passion knew no bounds, and several of the neighbors 
having approached me, my master appeared to be extremely 
uneasy, fearing lest I should mention the quantity of the ef- 
fects which he had received from me. Addressing himself to 
his wife, "I forbid thee," said he, "to require from him the 
least service that may be disagreeable to him; and if thou dost, 
I desire that he may not obey thee." From this moment that 
woman conceived an implacable hatred against me. 

The end of August approached, and not the smallest pre- 
parations were made for our journey. I asked Sidy Moham- 
med what he was waiting for in order to conduct us to Sene- 
gal. He replied that he was looking for strong, vigorous ca- 
mels, capable of enduring the fatigues of such a journey, and 
that it was his intention to set off as soon as he had procured 
them. 



196 SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. 

I was the more urgent in intreating him not to delay, as 
the nights now began to be very uncomfortable, the dew fre- 
quently wetting us through the bushes which afforded a kind 
of shelter. From this dcAv, however, we obtained some relief; 
for, by collecting it in our hands from our bodies, it served to 
quench our thirst, which the coolness of the night did not allay, 
and we preferred it to our OAvn urine, Avhich we were necessi- 
tated to drink. Having spoken to my master a second time, 
he made me such a reply as convinced me he was sincere. 
" Dost thou think," said he, "that in the present excessive heat 
it Avould be possible to travel AA'ithout provisions, and, above all, 
ivithout water 1 We should find it very difficult to approach 
the Senegal, as the river has inundated all the plains, and w0 
should have much to fear from the Arabs of the tribe of Trar- 
gee, who are our enemies. I tell the truth," added he ; "• we 
must wait till the month of October." 

As we were Christians, when the Arabs had almost exhaust- 
ed their provisions, their dogs fared better than we, and it was 
in the basins destined for their use that we received our allow- 
ance. Their object was to make us change owr religion ; but 
in this they failed, although our food consisted of raw snails* 
and herbs and plants that were trodden under foot. 

I was soon undeceived by a young female Moor, whose 
flocks fed with those 1 tended, respecting the hopes I had en- 
tertained of liberty in consequence of my master's promises* 
and this information rendered my labors still more irksome 
ailu insupportable. 

I no longer met in the fields my companions in misfortune, 
but above all I regretted the loss of the captain. His compa* 
ny had often comforted me in affliction, and I found a kind of 
alleviation in conversing with him on our sufferings, and the 
hopes we entertained of returning to our native land* One 
evening, the coolness of the weather having e»tieed my ca>» 
mels to stray farther than usual, I was under the necessity of 
following them to a neighboring hamlet, where I beheld a 
spectacle truly horrible. The unfortunate captain was ex- 
tended lifeless upon the sand, holding in his mouth one of 
his hands, which his extreme weakness had, doubtless, pre- 
rented him from devouring. He was so altered by famine 
that all his features were absolutely effaced, and his body 
exhibited the most disgusting appearance. 

A few days afterward the second captain, having fallen 
through weakness at the foot of an old gum tree, was attack- 
ed by an enormous serpent. Some famished crows by their 



SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. 197 

cries frightened away the venomous animal, and alighting on 
the body of the dying man, were tearing him to pieces, while 
four savages, more cruel than the furious reptile, beheld this 
scene without affording him the least assistance. I endea- 
vored to run toward him, if possible to save his life, but was 
stopped by the barbarians, who, after insulting me, said: 
" This Christian also will soon become a prey to the birds." 
Finding my efforts ineffectual, I hastened from this scene of 
horror ; and not knowing which way to direct my steps, I 
followed my sheep and my camels. Upon my arrival at the 
tents, my master, struck with my absent and distracted looks, 
inquired what was the matter. " Go (replied I) a few steps 
hence, and behold what your cruelty and that of your wife is 
capable of producing. You have suffered my companion to 
expire, and because his illness prevented him from Avorking, 
you refused him the milk necessary for his subsistence." 

While pronouncing these words I concealed my tears, 
which would only have excited the laughter of these human 
brutes, Avho ordered me to go away and bring the bloody 
clothes of the unhappy victim of their barbarity. I was fired 
with indignation at such an indecent proposal. My agitation, 
and the fern which I had eaten to appease my hunger, pro- 
duced a painful vomiting, which was succeeded by almost 
total debility. I was, however, able to crawl behind a bush, 
where I found another wretched object, who inquired the rea- 
son of my tears, and if I had seen Baudre. " He is not far 
off," I replied. This was all I could or wished to say; but 
my master's sister, who came to bring us some milk, exclaim- 
ed, " The crows are now devouring Baudre's entrails ; you 
will soon meet the same fate; you are good for nothing else." 

My health, which had hitherto been better than I could 
have expected, now declined fast. My whole skin had been 
twice renewed, and my body began to be covered, a third time, 
with a kind of scale, like those of the Arabs, and this change 
was attended with considerable pain. The thorns over which 
I had walked had torn my feet to the quick ; I could scarce- 
ly stand erect, and the large dogs continually let loose upon 
me, and from v.'hich I could never disengage myself without 
receiving dreadful wounds, rendered me absolutely incapable 
of guarding the camels. To add to my misery, the excessive 
heats, about the end of February and March, had dried up all 
the water in that part of the country, and not a single drop of 
rain had fallen to moisten the fields which I had sown. Our 
cattle finding no pasture, were on the point of perishing, when 

17* 



198 



SHIPWRECK OI' M. DE BRISSOW, 



the tribes of Labdesseba and Ouadelims, having taken into 
consideration their present condition, resolved to go in quest 
of some spot occupied by more industrious inhabitants. 

In this melancholy situation I accidentally met with an 
Arab having in his train a Christian slave, who, I. found, had 
been baker to our ship. This man was disposed of to my 
master at a moderate price, and ordered to perform my or- 
dinary labor. I had now an opportunity of recruiting my 
strength a little ; but the unfortunate bakei paid dearly for his 
knowledge in the art of preparing food. Having eaten all 
the snails we could find, we fed upon sheep which had died 
either of hunger or disease. This suggested to us the idea 
of strangling a few kids in the night time, persuaded that our 
masters would not meddle with them, as their law prohibits 
their eating of any animal unless it has died by the knife ; but 
being suspected, and at last caught in the act, we narrowly 
escaped having our throats cut. 

One morning, as I was preparing to set off to cut wood, 
poor Devoise, addressing me in a faint and languishing voice, 
said, " The illusion is now over ; I have hitherto flattered 
myself with hopes of again beholding my native country, but 
I feel my strength forsake me. This night, my dear friend, 
for this title justly belongs to you, after all your care, you 
will find my body arrested by the cold hand of death. Adieu, 
my friend ! the tears you strive to conceal are a neAV proof 
of your attachment. Write to my brother ; tell him that I 
remembered him in my last moments, and that I die wuth the 
sentiments of a true Christian. Adieu ! my last moment is 
nearer than I expected. I expire." He spoke no more; 
that moment, indeed, was his last. 

I was deeply affected at losing M. Devoise, though I had 
only known him since our departure from France. I went 
into the field to seek the only companion I had now left, and, 
upon our return, we vv^ere ordered to carry away our friend's 
body, and to dig a very deep pit, in order, as the Arabs said, 
to conceal that Christian from the sight of their children. 
This last duty to the deceased we performed with difficulty ; 
for, being too weak to carry him, we were obliged to dracr 
him by the feet three quarters of a league. The earth at the 
brink of the pit giving way, I tumbled in first, and was very 
near expiring under the weight of the body. 

A few days afterward we quitted that place to seek a more 
fertile spot, and encamped in the vicinity of several other 
tribes, where I found one of our sailors, named Denoux, who 



SHIPWRECK OF ?.I. DE BRISSOX. 199 

was a slave like myself. I inquired what had become of my 
companions. " Six of them (said he) were carried away by 
the emperor's son, soon after our shipwreck, and have since 
gone to France. M. Taffaro, the surgeon-major, died of 
blows he received on the head with a large stick ; M. Ra- 
boin, second lieutenant, likewise expired in dreadful torture. 
Others, to avoid the horrors of famine, have renounced their 
religion. As for me, it will not be long before I follow those 
whom death has delivered from their misery. Behold in 
what a condition I am; there is no kind of ill-treatment to 
which I am not daily exposed." 

Upon the information that some of the crew had returned 
to France, I conceived new hopes, thinking that the marine 
minister would transmit positive orders to reclaim the rest. 
Such commands were actually received by the vice-consul at 
Morocco, but he neglected to execute them. I was reflecting 
upon the cause of his total neglect, when, upon retiring be- 
hind my bush, I was much astonished to see my master's ca- 
mels returning without a guide. Being called rather too late 
to receive my portion of milk, and not seeing the poor baker, 
I took the liberty of inquiring what was become of him ; but 
the Arabs returned a very cold answer, and drove me from 
their presence. Early the next morning, a young Arab, em- 
ployed in tending the flocks, informed me that Sidy Moham- 
med, suspecting that the baker privately milked his camels, 
watched him, and having caught him in the act, seized him by 
the throat and strangled him. 

I was now the only slave remaining in the hamlet, and had 
no longer any companion to whom I could communicate my 
misfortunes. My situation became daily more deplorable, 
but yet I resolved not to suffer myself to be dejected. 

This resolution, and my conduct toward those who had 
endeavored to humble me, procured me some respect among 
these savages; so that I was occasionally permitted to lodge 
in the back of their tents, and even sometimes to drink out of 
their vessels. My master, too, suffered me to remain unmo- 
lested, and I was no longer required to tend his camels. It is 
true, he never said a word concerning my liberty, but if he 
had, I should not have regarded it, as I was so well acquaint- 
ed with his perfidy that I placed not the least confidence in 
him. It was, however, necessary for me to make faggots, as 
I had done for some time, in order to exchange them for milk, 
being often driven by thirst almost to madness. The Arabs 
themselves suffered exceedingly from the same cause; seve- 



200 SHIPWRECK OP M. DE BRlSSON. 

ral of them died of hunger and thirst; this being the fourth 
season in which their crops had been destroyed by drought. 
This dreadful situation had so irritated their minds, that the 
different tribes made war upon each other. Milk entirely 
failed them, and each tried who could carry off most cattle, 
for the purpose of killing them and drying the flesh. Water 
was still scarcer, as little is to be found in the desert, except- 
ing toward the sea, and even there it is black, putrid, and 
brackish. The bad quality of this beverage, together with 
the want of pasturage, always keeps the Arabs at a distance 
from the coast. Being destitute of every kind of provision, 
none attempted to pursue his journey. Those who had the 
least milk quenched their thirst from the bowels of the camels 
which they killed. From the stomachs of these animals they 
pressed a greenish kind of water, which they carefully pre- 
served, and boiled their flesh in it. That procured from the 
bodies of their goats had the taste and smell of sweet fennel, 
and the broth made of it never appeared disagreeable; but 
that procured from the camel was not equally pleasing to the 
taste. I was much astonished that these animals, which ne- 
ver drink above two or three times a-year, and eat nothing but 
dried plants, should have such a prodigious quantity of water 
in their stomachs. 

In order to regain my liberty I found means to get again 
into my possession the treasure 1 had given the Arab, which 
might have enabled me to cross the desert, and to bribe the 
Arabs to conduct me to Morocco. Sidy Mohammed, howev- 
er, missed it, and prevailed on me, by powerful arguments, 
once more to'restore it. The principal inducement was a pro- 
mise of being sent to Mogador, and meanwhile to be allowed 
a sufficient quantity of milk, night and morning. 

At length chance conducted Sidy Mahmud, sheriff of the 
tribe of Trargea, to the place which I was watering with my 
tears. He inquired who I was ; upon which the Arabs ac- 
quainted him with my history, boasting of the great riches, in 
powder and arms, Avhich I Avas said to possess at Senegal. 
The sheriff immediately recollected me, asked me what situ- 
ation I had held in the island of St. Louis, and I answered 
his questions. Looking at me nearer, he exclaimed, " What! 
art thou Brisson?" Upon my replying in the affirmative, he 
appeared greatly astonished, and addressing himself to the 
Arabs, " You know not this Christian, (said he,) every thing 
at Senegal belongs to him." This man having seen me deli- 
ver stores in the king's magazine, imagined that they were 



SHIPWRECK OF fli. »E ERISSON. 201 

my property ; and my master's brother-in-law, Sidy Selim, 
hearing this flattering account of my riches, did not scrnple 
to purchase me at the price of five camels. 

I was ignorant of this bargain, when I was unexpectedly 
filled with joy and surprise. Returning one evening with my 
master from watering our camels for the third time during 
three months, my mistress ordered me to carry a leather 
bucket, which she had borrowed, to a neighboring tent. 
There I found Sidy Selim, who, calling me to him, directed 
me to prepare to depart with him the next morning for Moga- 
dor. I had been so often flattered Avith this hope, and as often 
deceived, that I could scarcely believe him to be in earnest ; 
the appearance, however, of some preparation for the pro- 
posed journey, convinced me that he was; and the old man 
repeating his protestations, I was so transported that I threw 
myself at his feet, wept, sighed, and laughed; in short, I knew 
not what I was doing. In order to feel or form an idea of 
what I experienced when I learned that the chains of my ser- 
vitude were broken, a person must have been reduced to a 
similar situation. 

My former master then called me, and told me that I no 
longer belonged to him. " I have fulfilled my promise, (he 
added,) you are going to be restored to your country." 
These words made me forget all my resentment, and resign 
myself entirely to joy, which was increased when informed 
tKat I Avtio to linvA a o.ompanion. " W^e are now g-oingr to 
join him, (said he,) a few paces hence." I Avas far from sus- 
pecting that he meant the unfortunate baker. ' The moment I 
saw him, I asked by what miracle he had been restored to 
life. " Alas ! (he replied,) I know not how I escaped death. 
Sidy Mohammed one day surprised me milking his camels; 
He ran to me, gave me several blows, and squeezed my throat 
so closely that I fell almost lifeless at his feet. Upon reco- 
vering my senses, I was astonished to find myself alone. My 
neck was covered with blood, and you may still see the marks 
of his nails. I crawled as well as I was able into a cavern 
of the rock, which several times echoed the voice of my bar- 
barous master, who came back to look for me, or at least to 
see in what situation I was. I had resolved either to starve 
myself to death, or to make for the sea-coast, in the hope of 
meeting with some vessel. I arrived there after a journey of 
ten days, during which time I had no food but snails, and no- 
thing to drink but my own urine. I had scarcely proceeded 
twenty paces among the rocks, in order to hail a small sloop 



202 SHIPWRECK OF BI. DE BRISSON. 

which lay at anchor off the coast, Avhen I was seized by two 
young Arabs, who took the greatest care of me ; and since 
that time I have been their slave. They appeared to be of a 
much milder disposition than the Arabs of the interior, and 
are much more industrious. They informed me, about a fort- 
night ago, that they were going to take me to the sultan, and 
I am inclined to believe that their reason for bringing me 
hither was because they had agreed upon this place of ren- 
dezvous with your master, after informing him that they had 
me in their possession." 

Sidy Mohammed's behavior, upon taking leave of me, was 
very affecting. "Adieu, my dear Brisson !" said he; "you 
are about to undertake a long journey. You will soon per- 
ceive that I had great reason to be afraid of it. I wish no 
danger may befall you, and that your passage by sea may be 
more fortunate than the last. Adieu ! forget not to send my 
wife the scarlet cloth. Charge it to the account of Sidy Selim, 
Once more adieu, my dear Brisson!" The tears which ac- 
companied his last words might have deceived me, had I not 
known what an adept he was in the art of dissimulation. 

After we ha,d been sixty-six days on our journey, my 
strength was exhausted, my legs were prodigiously swollen, 
my feet covered with running sores, and I should infallibly 
have sunk under my misfortunes, had not my master, to en- 
courage me, every now and then said, " Behold the sea ! Dost 
not thou see the ships ? Have a good heart ; we ar© ^.l^ost 
at our journey's end." Hope supported me, and when I 
least expected it, I beheld the element of which I had so much 
canse to complain. Upon quitting a labyrinth of broom 
bushes, we arrived at the top of a few little sand hills, when, 
to my inexpressible joy — a joy of which the reader can 
scarcely form any idea — I perceived the French colors, and 
those of several other nations, floating over the poops of dif- 
ferent vessels lying in the harbor of Mogador, which place I 
as yet knew only by the name of Saira. " Well, Brisson !" 
said my master, " art thou content ? Dost thou not see the 
vessels ? Are there any French ? I promised to conduct 
thee to the consul, and thou seest that I have kept my word. 
But who.t is the matter — thou art quite silent ?" Alas ! what 
could I answer 1 I could scarcely give vent to my tears ; 
and to articulate a word was impossible. I surveyed the sea, 
the colors, the ships, and the city, and thought that every 
thing I beheld was only an illusion. The unfortunate baker, 
equally affected and surprised, joined his sighs with mine, 



SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. 203 

while my tears bathed the hands of the generous old man 
who had procured me the enjoyment of such an agreeable 
prospect. 

On entering the city we met two Europeans. "Whoever 
thou art, (said I,) behold the misery of an unfortunate man, 
and deign to assist him. Afford me some consolation, and re- 
vive my drooping spirits. Where am I ? Of what country 
are you 1 What day of the month is it ? What day of the 
week is it ?" 1 found that I addressed two of my countrymen 
from Bordeaux, who, after looking at me a few moments, went 
to inform Messrs. Duprat and Cabanes, who considered it 
their duty to relieve, as far as lay in their power, such unhap- 
py people as might be driven upon these coasts. Those gen- 
tlemen came to meet me, and, without being disgusted at my 
appearance, which was far from inviting, they clasped me in 
their arms, and shed tears of joy at being able to relieve an 
unfortunate man. 

While I was waiting for an audience with the emperor I 
saw a captain review his troop. He was seated upon the 
ground, with his chin resting upon his two fists, and his arms 
placed upon his knees, which were bent upward. He made 
his soldiers advance two by two, then gave his orders, upon 
which the men, after prostrating before him, retired to their 
posts, or went to enjoy their amusement. 

Five or six of the guards arriving with white staves, sud- 
denly leaped upon me, seized me by the collar like a male- 
factor, and having ordered two large folding doors," like those 
of our barns, to be opened, they pushed me rudely into a kind 
of enclosure, where I looked in vain for any thing announcing 
t^e majesty of the throne. Having walked fifteen or tv^'•enty 
paces past a kind of wheel barrow, my attendants made me 
suddenly turn about, and pushing me in a brutal manner, or- 
dered me to prostrate myself before this Avheel-barrow, in 
which the emperor was seated cross-legged, amusing himself 
with stroking his toes. Having looked at me for some time, 
he asked if I was not one of those Christian slaves whose 
vessel had been cast away upon his coast about a year be- 
fore : what was the intention of my voya«:re to Senegal, &c. 
" You AVer e lost through your own fault," said he. "Why 
did you not keep farther from the shore ? Art thou rich ? Art 
thou married?" 

I had scarcely answered these questions when he ordered 
paper and ink to be brought him, v»'ith a small reed, which he 
used as a pen. He then traced out the four cardinal points, 



204 SHIPWRECK OF M. DE BRISSON. 

to show me that Paris lay toward the north, and wrote down 
a few cyphers, as far as twelve, asking me if I knew them. 
He likewise put several questions of the same kind, to display 
the great extent of his learning. 

" Did the mountaineers treat thee well? (continued the 
prince;) Did they take much of thy effects ?" I replied to all 
his questions ; observing, that in proportion as we approached 
the capital^ we found the manners of the inhabitants milder 
and more civilized, " My authority does not extend over all 
the country thou hast traversed, (said he,) or rather my orders 
cannot be conveyed so far. With whom didst thou come?" 
With Sidy Selim, of the tribe of Roussye. •' I know him ; let 
him be brought hither." A moment afterward my master was 
introduced. The emperor ordered one of his guards to take 
care of me and the baker till he should receive fresh orders 
and to supply me with food from the royal kitchen : this man 
seemed greatly surprised that the sultan should have con- 
versed so long with a slave. 

Fortunately the French consul was at this time in great 
favor with the emperor, on account of some presents which he 
had made him. The emperor, for this reason, set all the pri- 
soners at liberty, and me among the rest ; so that we had now 
only to consider of the necessary measures for our return to 
France. 

The Arabs of the desert, among whom I had resided, are 
so ignorant that they not only consider themselves as the prin- 
cipal nation in the world, but have the foolish vanity to be- 
lieve that the sun rises for them only : " Behold the luminary, 
(said the3^) which is unknown in thy country! During the 
night thou art not lighted, as we are, by that heavenly boc^y 
which regulates our days and oli fasts. His children (mean- 
ing the stars) point out to us the hour of prayer. You have 
neither trees nor camels, sheep, goats, nor dogs. Are 3'our 
women made like ours?" " Indeed, (said one, counting my 
fingers and toes,) he is made like us; he differs only in his 
color and language, which astonishes me. Do you sow barley 
in your houses ?" (meaning our ships.) " No. (answered I ;) we 
sow our fields almost in the same season as you." " How 1 
(exclaimed several of them,) do you live upon land ? We be- 
lieved that you were born and lived upon the sea." 

As soon as my quarantine was finished at Cadiz, where I 
landed, before I proceeded to my native land, or to the arms 
of a tender and affectionate wife, I wrote to the Marshal de 
Castries that I waited his orders to return to Seneq-al. Charr^-- 




COMMODORE BEERINGS, 

Conveyed on shore from a Russian ship. He died Dec. 8lh, 1741 : the 
island has since been called by his name. — p. 289. 




THE SURVIVORS OF THE MEDUSA, 

A French Frigate. "A large fire was kindled, and each one was 
occupied in dressing his meal." — p. 332. 



FAMINE IN THE SHIP PEGGY. 205 

ged with new despatches, I again embarked at Havre de 
Grace on the 6th of May, 1787, and had the good fortune to 
arrive at the island of St. Louis without any accident. 



EXTRAORDINARY FAMINE IN THE AMERICAN 
SHIP PEGGY, 

0)1 her return from the Azores to New-York in 1765. 

Famine frequently leads men to the commission of the most 
horrible excesses : insensible on such occasions to the appeals 
of nature and reason, man assumes the character of a beast of 
prey ; he is deaf to every representation, and coolly meditates 
the death of his fellow-creature. 

One of these scenes so afflicting to humanity was, in the 
year 1765, exhibited in the brigantine the Peggy, David Har- 
rison commander, freighted by certain merchants of New 
York, and bound to the Azores. She arrived without accident 
at Fayal, one of those islands, and having disposed of her car 
go, took on board a lading of wine and spirits. On the 24th 
of October, of the same year, she set sail on her return to 
New- York. 

On the 29th, the wind, which had till then been favorable, 
s'addenly shifted. Violent storms, which succeeded each other 
almost without interruption, during the month of November, 
did mxuch damage to the vessel. In spite of all the exertions of 
the crew and the experience of the captain, the masts went by 
the board, and all the sails, excepting one, were tore to rags; 
and to add to their distress, several leaks were discovered in 
the hold. 

At the beginning of December the wind abated a little, but 
the vessel was driven out of her course; and, destitute of masts, 
sails, and rigging, she Vv'as perfectly unmanageable, and drifted 
to and fro at the merc}^ of the waves. This, however, was the 
smallest evil; another of a much more alarming nature soon 
manifested itself Upon examining the state of the provi- 
sions, they Avere found to be almost totally exhausted. In this 
deplorable situation the crew had no hope of relief but from 
chance. 

A few days after this unpleasant discovery, two vessels were 
18 



206 FAMINE IN THE SHIP PEGGY. 

descried early one morning, and a transient ray of hope 
cheered the unfortunate crew of the Peggy. The sea ran so 
high as to prevent Captain Harrison from approaching the 
ijhips, which were soon out of sight. The disappointed sea- 
men, who were in want of every thing, then fell upon the 
wine and brandy with which the ship was laden. They allot- 
ted to the captain two small jars of water, each containing 
about a gallon, being the remainder of their stock. Some 
days elapsed, during which the men in some measure ap- 
peased the painful cravings of hunger by incessant intoxi- 
cation. 

On the fourth day a ship was observed bearing toward them 
in full sail ; no time was lost in making signals of distress, 
and the crew had the inexpressible satisfaction to perceive 
that they were answered. The sea was sufficiently calm to 
permit the two vessels to approach each other. The strangers 
seemed much affected by the account of their sufferings and 
misfortunes, and promised them a certain quantity of biscuit ; 
but it was not immediately sent on board, the captain alledging, 
as an excuse for the delay, that he had just begun a nautical 
observation which he was desirous to finish. However un- 
reasonable such a pretext appeared under the present circum- 
stances, the famished crew of the Peggy were obliged to sub- 
mit. The time mentioned by the captain had nearly expired, 
when, to their extreme mortification, the latter, regardless of 
his promise, crowded all his sails and bore away. No lan- 
guage is adequate to describe the despair and consternation 
which then overwhelmed the crew. Enraged and destitute of 
hope, they fell upon whatever they had spared til] then. The 
only animals that remained on board were a couple of pi- 
geons and a cat, which were devoured in an instant. The on- 
ly favor they showed the captain was to reserve for him the 
head of the cat. He afterward declared, that however disgust- 
ing it would have been on any other occasion, he thought it 
at that moment a treat exquisitely delicious. The unfortunate 
men then supported their existence by living on oil, candles, 
and leather, and these were entirely consumed by the 28th 
of December. 

From that day until the 13th of January it is impossible 
to tell in what manner they subsisted. Captain Harrison had 
been for some time unable to leave his cabin, being confined 
to his bed by a severe fit of the gout. On the last mention- 
ed day the sailors went to him in a body, with the mate at ' 
their head ; the latter acted as spokesman, and after an af- 



FAMINE IN THE SHIP PEGGY. 207 

fecting representation of the deplorable state to which they 
were reduced, declared that it was necessary to sacrifice one 
in order to save the rest ; adding-, that their resolution was 
irrevocably fixed, and that they intended to cast lots for the 
victim. 

The captain, a tender and humane man, could not hear 
such a barbarous proposition without shuddering ; he repre- 
sented to them that they were men, and ought to regard 
each other as brethren ; that, by such an assassination, they 
would for ever consign themselves to universal execration; 
and commanded them, with all his authority, to relinquish the 
idea of committing such an atrocious crime. The captain 
was silent ; but he had spoken to deaf men. They all with 
one voice replied, that it was indifferent to them whether he 
approved of their resolution or not ; that they had only ac- 
quainted him with it out of respect, and because he would run 
the same risk as themselves ; adding that, in the general mis- 
fortune, all command and distinction were at an end. With 
these words they left him, and went upon deck, where the 
lots were drawn. 

A negro who was on board and belonged to Captain Harri- 
son was the victim. It is more than probable that the lot 
had been consulted only for the sake of form, and that the 
wretched black was proscribed the moment the sailors first 
formed their resolution. They instantly sacrificed him. One 
of the crew tore out his liver and devoured it, without having 
the patience to dress it, by broiling, or in any other manner. 
He was soon afterward taken ill, and died the following day 
in convulsions, and with all the symptoms of madness. Some 
of his comrades proposed to keep his body to live upon, after 
the negro was consumed ; but this advice was rejected by 
the majority, doubtless on account of the malady which had 
carried him off He was, therefore, thrown overboard, and 
consigned to the deep. 

The captain, in the intervals when he was the least tor- 
mented by the gout, was not more exempt from the attacks of 
hunger than the rest of the crew ; but he resisted all the per- 
suasions of his men to partake of their horrid repast. He 
contenfed himself with the water which had been assigned to 
him, mixing with it a small quantity of spirits ; and this was 
the only sustenance he took during the whole period of his 
distress. 

The body of the negro, equally divided, and eaten with the 
greatest economy, lasted till the 26th of January. On the 



208 FAMINE IN THE SHIP PEGGY. 

29th the famished crew deliberated upon selecting a second 
victim. They again came to inform the captain of their in- 
tention, and he appeared to give his consent, fearing lest the 
enraged sailors might have recourse to the lot without him. 
They left it with him to fix upon any method that he should 
think proper. The captain, summoning all his strength, wrote 
upon small pieces of paper, the name of each man who was 
then on board the brigantine, folded them up, and put them 
into a hat, and shook them well together. The crew mean- 
while preserved an awful silence j each eye was fixed, and 
each mouth was open, while terror was strongly impressed 
upon every countenance. With a trembling hand one of them 
drew from the hat the fatal billet, which he delivered to the 
captain, who opened it and read aloud the name of David 
Flatt. The unfortunate man on Avhom the lot had fallen 
appeared perfectly resigned to his fate. " My friends, (said he 
to his companions,) the only favor I request of you is, not to 
keep me long in pain ; dispatch me as speedily as you did 
the negro." Then turning to the man who had performed the 
first execution, he added, " It is you I choose to give me the 
mortal blow." He requested an hour to prepare himself for 
death, to which his comrades could only reply with tears. 
Meanwhile comipassion, and the remonstrances of the captain, 
prevailed over the hunger of the most hard-hearted. They 
unanimously resolved to defer the sacrifice till eleven o'clock 
the following morning. Such a short reprieve afforded very 
little consolation to Flatt. 

The certainty of dying the next day made such a deep im- 
pression upon his mind, that his body, which, for above a 
month, had withstood the almost total privation of nourish- 
ment, sunk beneath it. He Avas seized with a violent fever, 
and his state was so much aggravated by a delirium with 
which it was accompanied, that some of the sailors proposed 
to kill him im,JTiediately, in order to terminate his suflferings. 
The majority, however, adhered to the resolution which had 
been taken of waiting till the following morning. 

At ten o'clock in the morning of the 30th of January a 
large fire was already made to dress the limbs of the unfortu- 
nate victim, when a sail was descried at a distance. A favor- 
able wind drove her toward the Peggy, and she proved to be 
the Susan, returning from Virginia and bound to London. 

The captain could not refrain from tears at the affecting 
account of the sufferings endured by the famished crew. He 
lost no time in affording them relief, supplying them immedi- 



LOSS OF THE MAGPIE. 209 

&tely with provisions and rigging, and offered to convoy the 
Peggy to London. The distance from New- York, their prox- 
imity to the English coast, together with the miserable state 
of the brigantine, induced the two captains to proceed to Eng- 
land. The voyage was prosperous ; only two men died, all 
the others gradually recovered their strength, Flatt himself 
was restored to perfect health, after having been so near the 
gates of death. 



^OSS OF THE MAGPIE, AND ESCAPE OF TWO 
OF HER CReV. 

I KNOW many men in the navy who have served their years 
and years afloat, who have passed through the rugged life of 
a sailor untouched by the enemy and unhurt by misfortune. 
How true it is, "that in the midst of life we are in death!" 
that the very moment of intoxicating joy may be our last of 
existence ; and the instant of the greatest apparent security 
the date of our death; — how vain are all our precautions 
against the unerring hand of fate ! 

The Magpie, a small schooner, under the command of Lieu- 
tenant Smith, an active, intelligent officer, was ordered to 
cruise between the Colorados, a shoal at the western extremi- 
ty of the island of Cuba, and the Havana, in order to intercept 
a piratical vessel which had committed innumerable depreda- 
tions both on shore and at sea, and which every trader had seen, 
bat none could accurately describe. It was a service of the ut- 
most importance, inasmuch as the existence of this vessel ren- 
dered higher insurances requisite. The merchant vessels 
dared not sail without a convoy, and the men-of-war were 
otherwise in great request in every part of Columbia and 
Mexico, to protect the merchants from the rapacity of the dif- 
ferent governments, or the constant revolutions, which threw 
the weak entirely on the power of the strongest, without a 
chance of assistance. 

The Magpie proceeded to her destination, and there remain- 
ed, in hopes of capturing the marauder. It was one evening 
when the sea-breeze had lulled, and the calm in being which 
occurs before tbe land-breeze commences, that the schooner 
lay upon the silent waters without a motion, with her head to- 

18* 



210 



LOSS OF THE MAGFIE, 



ward the shore, and about eight miles distant from the CoIo' 
yados. Smith, who had swept the horizon with his glass from: 
the mast head of his charge until the twilight had died into* 
darkness, Avas in his cabin, the mate on deck, the crew talking- 
over past scenes and occurrences, every thing apparently in 
the most perfect security, when an event occurred which I 
well know I cannot paint in the glowing colors the heart- 
rending tale deserves. 

It is requisite here to mention that the schooner had her 
fore-topsail set, the yard being braced for the starboard tack ; 
the foresail was in the brails, and the jib and boom mainsail, 
the latter with the tack triced up, hanging up and down in 
the calm. On the larboard bow a small black cloud had hung 
over the land ; and in tropical climates, almost invariably, the 
clouds settling on the hi] Is is the sign of the land-breeze being ■ 
about to commence. Perhaps many of my readers have not 
been in these climates, where the blessings of the cool night- 
breeze must be felt to be appreciated : generally speakings 
the land-wind comes on in light flaws, until it settles into its 
strength, which is rarely sufficient to drive a frigate at the 
rate of five knots an hour. 

None can guess with what impatience the navigator, who 
has been beating all day against the sea-breeze and current, 
awaits the arrival of his fair wind and cooling breeze, which 
is to give him renewed existence by its bracing qualities, and 
to forward him toward his port. It is a blessing eagerly 
sought after, and heartily welcome when it comes. 

The cloud, which at first seemed only of small dimensions, 
gradually increased ; and the moon, which was shining bright- 
ly just over the vapor, perhaps made it appear darker than 
it really was. The mate looked at the gathering blackness 
without apprehension, although some foreboding of approach- 
ing mischief seemed to render him unquiet and uneasy. 

"'Mr. Smith," said the mate, looking down the hatchway, 
"I think the land-breeze is coming off rather strong, sir ; the 
clouds look very black." 

"Very well," replied Smith, "keep a sharp look out, I shall 
be on deck myself in a moment." 

It is proper for the historian of all misfortunes to show 
how, by cautious attention, such misfortunes might have been 
guarded against. When the mate observed the increasing 
blackness and density of the cloud, he ought to have braced 
the foreyard round, and thus to have prevented the schooner 
being taken aback ; for there are no vessels so ticklish (as we 



LOSS OF THE MAGPIE. 211 

call it) as schooners, and no yards so difficult to manage in a 
squall as the long overgrown yard for a schooner's fore-top- 
sail or square sail. Had this slight manoeuvre been executed, 
the horrible consequences v^hich ensued might have been ob- 
viated : at any rate, the men ought to have been kept in readi- 
ness, the fore-top-sail should have been furled, or lowered, 
and preparations to meet any circumstances ought to have 
been made. 

It is a singular fact, that the crew, who had been engaged 
in relating all kinds of wonderful events about five minutes 
before the catastrophe occurred, became aw^fuliy silent ; not a 
word escaped them ; there seemed a preparatory stillness for 
death itself, or a respectful fear at its approach. 

A sqaall of wind, which must have been fearfully strong, 
seemed to burst from the cloud alongside of the schooner ; it 
reached her before the mate could call the watch into activity. 
The vessel was taken aback; and Mr, Smith, as he put his 
foot upon the last step of the ladder, found his schooner up- 
set, and scarcely time had he to reach the deck before she 
sunk, to rise no more. 

The crew, amounting in all to twenty-four, happened luckily 
to be on deck, witli the exception of two, who were drowned 
in the schooner ; and in one minute they found themselves 
struggling in the water — ^their home, their ship, and some of 
their companions, lost for ever. The v;ild cry for assistance 
from some, of surprise from others, and fear from all, seemed 
to drown the wind; for, as if sent by Providence to effect 
this single event, no sooner had the schooner sunk than the 
wind entirely ceased, a cahn came on, and the bright rays of 
the moon fell upon the wet faces of the struggling crew — 
most fortunately, as some would think, but in reality the most 
painfully unfortunate from what fojiowed. The boat on the 
booms of the schooner floated clear of the sinking vessel, and 
seemed prepared for their salvation; the fore-yard-arm had 
somehow got fixed on the gunwale, and as the schooner sunk, 
it naturally heeled the boat, until she was nearly upset and 
half full of water, when the yard got disentangled, the schoon- 
er sunk and the boat floated. 

The only ark of their safety was amply large enough to 
have saved the twenty-two men who instantly swam to her ; 
but such -was the impetuosity occasioned by their fright, that 
prudence Avas overlooked, and in the hurried exertion of 
eight or ten endeavoring to scramble in, all on one side, the 
half-filled boat heeled below her gunwale in the water, and 



212 



LOSS OF fiit Magpie. 



rolled over and over; some got across her keel, the others 
held on by her — and all were safe from drowning. 

Mr. Smith, who appears to have been a man of most con- 
summate command and coolness, began to reason with his 
crew on the impossibility of their being saved if they conti- 
nued in their present position ; for those who were on the keel 
would shortly roll off, and exertion and fatigue would soon 
force the others to relinquish their holds, or urge them to en- 
deavor forcibly to dislodge the possessors from their quiet 
seats. He pointed out the necessity of righting the boat, of 
allowing only two men to get in her to bale her out, whilst 
the others, supported by the gunwales, which they kept up- 
right, might remain in the water until the boat was in such a 
condition as to receive two more; and thus by degrees to ship 
the whole crew in security. 

Even in this moment of peril the discipline of the navy 
assumed its command. At the order from the lieutenant for 
the men on the keel to relinquish their position, they instantly 
obeyed, the boat was turned over, and once more the expedi- 
ent was tried — but quite in vain ; for no sooner had the two 
men begun to bale with a couple of hats, and the safety of 
the crew to appear within the bounds of probability, than one 
man declared he saw the fin of a shark. No language can 
convey the panic which seized the struggling seamen. A 
shark is at all times an object of horror to a sailor ; and those 
who have seen the destructive jaw^s of these voracious fish, 
and their immense and almost incredible power — their love 
of blood, and their bold daring to obtain it — alone can form 
an idea of the sensations produced to a swimmer by the cry 
of " a shark ! a shark !" 

Every man now struggled to obtain a moment's safety. 
Well they knew that one drop of blood would have been scent- 
ed by the everlasting pilot fish, the jackalls of the shark ; and 
that their destruction was inevitable, if one only of these mon- 
sters should discover the rich repast, or be led to its food by 
the little rapid hunter of its prey. All discipline was now 
unavailing; the boat again turned keel up. One man only 
gained his security, to be pushed from it by others ; and thus 
their strength began to fail from long-continued exertion. As, 
however, the enemy so much dreaded did not make its ap- 
pearance. Smith once more urged them to endeavor to save 
themselves by the only means left, that of the boat : but as 
he knew that he would only increase their alarm by endea- 
voring to persuade them that sharks did not abound in those 



LOSS OF THE MAGPIE. 213 

parts, he used the wisest plan of desiring those who held on by 
the gunwale to keep splashing in the water with their legs, in 
order to frighten the monsters at which they were so alarmed. 

Once more had hope began to dawn ; the boat was clear to 
her thwarts, and four men were in her hard at work. A little 
forbearance and a little obedience, and they were safe. At this 
moment, when those in the water urged their messmates in 
the boat to continue bailing with unremitted exertions, a noise 
was heard close to them, and about fifteen sharks came right 
in amongst them. The panic was ten times more dreadful than 
before. The boat again was upset by the simultaneous endea 
vor to escape danger, and the twenty-two sailors were again 
devoted to destruction. 

At first the sharks did not seem inclined to seize their prey, 
but swam in amongst the men, playing in the -water, some- 
times leaping about and rubbing against their victims. This 
was of short duration. A loud shriek from one of the men 
announced his sudden pain. A shark had seized him by the 
leg and severed it entirely from the body. No sooner had the 
blood been tasted than the long-dreaded attack took place; 
another and another shriek proclaimed the loss of limbs: 
some were torn from the boat, to which they vainly endea- 
vored to cling — some, it was supposed, sunk from fear alone 
— all were in dreadful peril. 

Mr. Smith, even now, when, of horrible deaths the most 
horrible seemed to await him, gave his orders with clearness 
and coolness ; and to the everlasting honor of the poor de- 
parted crew be it known, they were obeyed. Again the boat 
was righted, and again two men were in her. Incredible as 
it may appear, still however it is true, that the voice of the 
officer was heard amidst the danger ; and the survivors actu- 
ally, as before, clung to the gunwale, and kept the boat up- 
right. Mr. Smith himself held by the stern, and cheered and 
applauded his men. The sharks had tasted the blood, and 
were not to be driven from their feast ; in one short moment, 
when Mr. Smith ceased splashing, as he looked into the boat 
to watch the progress, a shark seized both his legs and bit 
them off just above the knees. Human nature was not strong 
enough to bear the immense pain without a groan ; but Smith 
endeavored to conceal the misfortune. Nature, true to her- 
self, resisted the endeavor, and the groan was deep and audi- 
ble. The crew had long respected their gallant commander ; 
they knew his worth and his courage. On hearing him ex- 
press his pain, and seeing him relinquish his hold to sink, two 



214 LOSS OF THE MAGPIE. 

of the men grasped their dying officer and placed him in the 
stern sheets. Even now, in almost insupportable agony, that 
gallant fellow forgot his own sufferings, and thought only on 
rescuing the remaining few from the untimely grave which 
awaited them. He told them again of their only hope, de- 
plored their perilous state, and concluded with these words: 
" If any of you survive this fatal night, and return to Jamai- 
ca, tell the admiral (Sir Laurence Halstead) that I was in 
search of the pirate when this lamentable occurrence took 
place ; tell him, I hope I have always done my duty, and that 
I" — here the endeavor of some of the men to get into the 
boat gave her a heel on one side ; the men who were sup- 
porting poor Smith relinquished him for a moment, and he 
rolled overboard and was drowned. His last bubbling cry 
was soon lost amidst the shrieks of his former companions — 
he sunk to rise no more. Could he have been saved, his life 
would have been irksome ; and, but for the time which even 
the best desire to make atonement for the sins and errors of 
early life — to offer their contrite prayers to the throne of grace 
— to implore that salvation we all hope for, and none of them- 
selves can claim — he had better have died as he did, than 
live to be dependent on others ; to hear the peevish complaint 
of his attendants, or to sigh for pleasures he could never en- 
joy, or for comforts he could never obtain. With him died 
every hope., All but two of the crew gave way to loud exe- 
crations and cursings. Some, who had not been so seriously 
injured by the monsters of the deep, endeavored to get upon 
the keel of the boat, which was again upset ; but, worn out 
with excessive fatigue, and smarting under the keen pain, 
they gave up the chance of safety, and were eaten up by the 
sharks ; or, courting death, which appeared inevitable, they 
threw themselves from their only support and were drowned. 
At eight o'clock in the evening the Magpie was upset ; it 
was calculated by the two survivors that their companions 
had all died by nine. The sharks seemed satisfied for the 
moment ; and they with gallant hearts resolved to profit by 
the precious time in order to save themselves. They righted 
the boat, and one getting over the bows and the other over 
the stern, they found themselves, although nearly exhausted, 
yet alive and in comparative security. They began the work 
of bailing, and soon lightened the boat sufficiently not to be 
easily upset, when both sat down to rest. The return of the 
sharks was the signal for their return to labor. The vora- 
cious monsters endeavored to upset the boat. They swam 



LOSS OF THE MAGPIE. 215 

oy its side in seeming anxiety for their prey; but, after wait- 
ing some time, they separated — ^the two rescued seamen found 
themselves free from their insatiable enemies, and, by the 
blessing of God, saved. Tired as they were, they continued 
their labor until the boat was nearly dry, when both lay down 
to rest, the one forward, and the other aft. So completely had 
fear operated on their minds, that they did not dare even to 
move, dreading that an incautious step might again have cap- 
sized the boat. They soon, in spite of the horrors they had 
v/itnessed, fell into a sound sleep, and day had dawned before 
they awoke to horrible reflections, and apparently worse 
dangers. 

The sun rose clear and unclouded; the cool calm of the 
night was followed by the sultry calm of the morning ; and 
heat and hunger, thirst and fatigue, seemed to settle on the 
unfortunate men, rescued by Providence and their own exer- 
tions from the jaws of a horrible death. They awoke and 
looked at each other — the very gaze of despair was appalling. 
Far as the eye could reach, no object could be discerned ; 
the bright haze of the morning added to the strong refraction 
of light: one smooth interminable plain, one endless ocean, 
one cloudless sky, and one burning sun, were all they had to 
gaze upon. The boat lay like the ark — in a world alone ! 
The^f had no oar, no mast, no sail — nothing but the bare 
planks, and themselves, without provisions or water, food or 
raiment ; they lay upon the calm ocean, hopeless, friendless, 
miserable. It was a time of intense anxiety; their eyes rest- 
ed upon each other in silent pity, not unmixed with fear ; 
each knew the dreadful alternative to which nature would 
urge them : the cannibal u-as already in their looks, and fear- 
ful would have been the first attack on either side, for they 
were both brave and stout men, and equals in strength and 
courage. 

••'Tis a bad business this, Tom," said the man on the bow 
— ^'a very bad business, indeed; I think I am sorry I was 
not eaten by the sharks with the rest of the poor fellows, and 
then I should never have known the misery of this moment." 

" I have been," replied Jack, " in many a heavy squall be- 
fore now ; but I never felt such a gale as this ; no hope, Tom, 
none ! Here we are, doomed to die of thirst and hunger ! — 
nothing to eat, you know, Tom — nothing !" The word " no- 
thing" was repeated by Tom, who afterward continued the 
conversation : — " Well, bo}^ many's the ship that passes 
through the Gulf of Florida, and which must come nearly 



216 LOSS OF THE MAGPIE. 

within hail of us ; so that if we, or one of us, can live but a 
little — and I dare say loe can find food for one — why then, 
you know, the whole of the story will be told, and that will 
be something." 

"Food for one!" re-echoed the other, and advanced a little 
toward his only companion with a look of savage determina- 
tion. Both understood the allusion; there was no doubt but 
that they could have outlived the day without resorting to 
the last resource ; but they stood afraid of each other. Both 
had knives, for sailors always carry these instruments sus- 
pended to their necks by a strong piece of white line, which 
they call a lanyard. Although not driven to the dreadful al- 
ternative, they anticipated the worst results ; they knew thej^ 
could not long survive the awful situation in which they 
were placed. If no ship passed them within four-and-twenty 
hours, it was evident that one must hare been murdered to 
save the other. 

In all times of tribulation and danger men turn their 
thoughts to God, and solicit that support for which, when in 
health and securit}'-, they had omitted to pray. There is a de- 
lightful calm v/hich generally comes over the mind of the 
most hardened after they have been induced to pray for sup- 
port and forgiveness ; and few there are who, having once ex- 
perienced the consolations of religion, totally abandon it after- 
ward. In the situation in which the two men were placed, 
they had not even the comfort of employment, for they had 
nothing to employ themselves upon : all they could do was, 
or could be done in a second — namely, when the sea-breeze 
came, to place a thwart upright, with a jacket upon it, in the 
bows of the boat, and scud before the wind; in which case, if 
they could exist four or five days, they might reach the wes- 
tern shore of the Gulf of Mexico. 

The man abaft fell upon his knees, and lifting his clasped 
hands to heaven, silently began his prayer. The throb of 
religion reached the heart of his companion, who, fearing to 
approach too near the only human being he was likely to see 
again, knelt down on the fore part of the boat ; and thus, in 
silence, they prayed for support, and a happy issue out of all 
their afflictions. 

It was now^ about half past six in the morning. The sun 
was beginning to prove its burning power; the sea was as 
smooth as a looking-glass ; and, saving now and then the 
slight cat's paw of air which ruffled the face of the water for 
a few yards, all was calm and hushed. In vain they strained 



LOSS OF THE MAGPIE. 217 

their eyes ; in vain they turned from side to side to escape 
the burning raj^s of the sun ; they could not sleep, for now 
anxiety and fear kept both vigilant and on their guard. They 
dared not to court sleep, for that might have been the last ot 
mortal repose. Once they nearly quarrelled, but fortunately 
the better feelings of humanity overcame the bitterness of 
despair. The foremost man had long complained of thirst, 
and had frequently dipped his hand into the water and suck- 
ed the fluid. This w^as hastily done, for all the horrors of the 
night were still before them, and not unfrequently the sharp 
fin of a shark was seen not very far from the boat. In the 
midst of the excruciating torments of thirst, heightened by 
the salt water, and the irritable temper of the bowman, as he 
stamped his impatient foot against the bottom boards, and tore 
his hair with unfeeling indifference, he suddenly stopped the 

expression of his rage, and called out — " By , there is a 

sail !" The extravagance of joy was now equal to the former 
despair. They jumped into each other's arms — they laugh- 
ed and cried together. It was a sail, a brig, which had a 
light breeze aloft, and was steering exactly in their direction. 
Every means of making a signal was resorted to. One stood 
upon the thwart and flung his jacket in the air, whilst th-e 
other, although the stranger was miles distant, endeavored to 
hail her. Sometimes they hailed together, in order to pro- 
duce a louder sound, and occasionally both stood up to make 
some signal. Their eyes w^ere never off the brig. They 
thought no longer of the burning sun, or of hunger, or of 
thirst ; deliverance was at hand, at least so they flattered them- 
selves, and no time of greatest joy could have beat the excite- 
ment and gratification of that moment. Whilst they stood 
watching in silence the approach of the brig, which slowl}- 
made her way through the water, and at the very instant that 
the}' w^ere assuring each other that they were seen, and that 
the vessel was purposely steered on the course she w^as keep- 
ing to reach them, the whole fabric of hope was destroj^ed in 
a second; the brig kept away about three points, and began 
to make more sail. Then was it an awful moment. Their 
countenances saddened as they looked at each other ; for in 
vain they hailed — in vain they threw their jackets in the air — 
It was evident they had never been seen, and that the brig was 
steering her proper course. 

Both now attempted to break adrift one of the fixed thwarts. 
The loose ones had been lost during the night ; and akhough, 
as all may fancy, every muscle was exerted, and all the stren.eth 

19 



218 



LOSS OF THE MAGPIE. 



nature had given them pushed to its utmost, yet were they 
msufficient in power to succeed. Their object was to use two 
of those thwarts as paddles, and to edge down at an angle 
from the course of the brig ; so that they would, if they did 
not reach her, at any rate pass so near as to be certain of be- 
mg seen. This last was a sad disappointment ; but, sailor- 
like, they would not despair while hope was in sight. They 
endeavored by heeling the boat on one side, to propel her by 
their hands. But they were soon worn out with fatigue, and 
obliged to relinquish the attempt ; for, independently of the 
impossibility of success in such an undertaking, they lost the 
better opportunity of being seen from the vessel. 

It was after a long deep sigh from the man in the stern- 
sheets, and after wiping away a stream of tears as he looked 
at the vessel, then about two miles and a half distant, that he 
broke into a loud lamentation on the utter hopelessness of 
their condition if they were not seen. In vain they declared 
that the brig had purposely altered her course to avoid them — 
in vain they pointed to a man going aloft, whom they could 
distinctly see — and in vain they waved their jackets, and as- 
sisted the signal with speech. The time was slipping away, 
and if once they got abaft the beam of the brig, every second 
would lessen the chance of being seen; beside, the sea-breeze 
might come down, and then she would be far away, and be- 
3^ond all hope in a quarter of an hour. Now it was that the 
man who had been so loudly lamenting his fate, seemed sud- 
denly inspired with fresh hope and courage ; he looked atten- 
tively at the brig, then at his companion, and said — " By hea- 
ven, I'll do it, or we are lost !" 

" Do what ?" said his shipmate. 

" Though," said the first manj^ " it is no trifle to do, after 
what we have seen and known, yet I will try ; for if she passes 
us, what can we do ? I tell 3^ou, Jack, I'll swim to her. If I 
get safe to her, you are saved ; if not, I shall die without add- 
ing, perhaps, murder to my crimes." 

" What ! jump overboard, and leave me all alone !" replied 
his companion : " look, look at that shark, which has followed 
us all night — vAij it is only waiting for you to get in the 
water to swallow you, as it did perhaps half of our mess- 
mates — no, no — wait, do wait, perhaps another vessel may 
come ; beside, I can't swim half the distance, and I should 



Tom — only think of the 



be afraid to remain behind : thi 
sharks, and of last night." 

This appeal staggered the determination of the gallant fel- 
low. There, about twenty yards from the boat, was the fin of 



LOSS OF THE MAGPIE. 219 

the shark, and now and then another and another might be 
seen. He looked at his enemies and then at himself. Cer- 
tain death awaited him in the boat, perhaps heightened by 
crime ; a chance of death awaited him in the sea ; but there 
was hope to buoy him up — the time was flying ; the brig was 
fast advancing, and hope was every minute growing less. 

"Well," said he, "Jack, it comes to this, you see, that if 
we wait we must die — if I get to the brig, we must be saved. 
If the sharks — God Almighty protect me!" said he, shudder- 
ing as he mentioned the word — "should take me, and you 
live to get back again, you know where to remember me. I 
say. Jack, it's no use being frightened to death when we can 
but die: come, give us your hand, my la.st companion.. I'll 
do it, if it is to be done. Good by. Now, if you see those 
devils in chase of me, splash or make some noise to frighten 
them, but don't tell me you see them coming. Another shake 
of the hand — God bless you. Jack ! keep your eye upon 
me, and make signals to the brig — there," said he, putting 
his knife down, "that might be of use to you, and here's 
my toggery. If I'm taken, it's none the better for last night's 
swim." Then falling on his knees, and saying, " God pro- 
tect me!" he jumped overboard with as much calmness as 
if he was bathing in security. No sooner had he begun to 
strike out in the direction he intended, than his companion 
turned toward the sharks. The fins had disappeared, and it 
was evident they had heard the splash, and would soon follow 
their prey. It is hard to say who suffered the most anxiety. 
The one left in the boat cheered his companion, looked at the 
brig, and kept waving his jacket — then turned to watch the 
sharks. His horrors may be imagined, when he saw three 
of those terrific monsters swim past the boat, exactly in the 
direction of his companion: he splashed his jacket in the 
water to scare them away, but they seemed quite aware of 
the impotency of the attack, and lazily pursued their course. 
The man swam well and strongly. Thene was no doubt he 
would pass within hail of the brig, provided the sharks did 
not interfere ; and he, knowing that they would not be long in 
following him, kept kicking the water and splashing as he 
swam. There is no fish more cowardly, and yet more des- 
perately savage, than a shark. I have seen one harpooned 
twice, with a hook in its jaws, and come again to a fresh bait : 
yet will they suffer themselves to be scared by the smallest 
noise, and hardly ever take their prey without it is quite still. 
Generally speaking, any place surrounded by rocks where the 



220 



LOSS OF THE MAGPIE. 



surf breaks, although there may be a passage for a ship, will 
be secure from sharks. It was not till a great distance had 
been accomplished that the swimmer became apprized of his 
danger and saw by his side one of the terrific creatures. 
Still, however, he bravely swam and kicked.; his mind was 
made up for the worst, and he had little hope of success. In 
the mean time the breeze had gradually freshened, and the 
brig passed with great velocity through the water: every 
stitch of canvass Avas spread. To the poor swimmer the 
sails seemed bursting with the breeze ; and as he used his 
utmost endeavor to propel himself, so as to cut off the vessel, 
the spray appeared to dash from the bow, and the brig to fly 
through the sea. He was now close enough to hope his voice 
might be heard ; but he hailed, and hailed, and hailed in vain 
— not a soul was to be seen on deck : the man who steered was 
too intent upon his avocation to listen to the call of mercy. 
The brig passed, and the swimmer was every second getting 
farther in the distance. Every hope was gone, not a ray of 
that bright divinity remained : the fatigue had nearly exhaust- 
ed him, and the sharks only waited for the first quiet moment 
to swallow their victim. 

It was in vain he thought of returning toward the boat, for 
he never could have reached her, and his companion had no 
means of assisting him. In the act of offering up his last 
prayer ere he made up his mind to float and be eaten, he saw 
a man look over the quarter of the brig. He raised both his 
hands, he jumped himself up in the water, and by the singu- 
larity of his motions fortunately attracted notice. A tele- 
scope soon made clear the object : the brig was hove to, a 
boat sent, and the man saved, The attention of the crew was 
then awakened to the Magpie's boat : she was soon along- 
side ; and thus, through the bold exertions of as gallant a fel- 
low as ever breathed, both were rescued from their perilous 
situation. 

At first the dreadful tale was discredited ; and the American 
captain rather fancied the addition to his crew to be two pi- 
rates, who had, to avoid a surer death, put to sea in an earless, 
mastless, sailless boat. They were landed at the Havana, and 
then conveyed to Port Royal in the first man-of-war. 

Such were the sufferings and the deaths of the crew of the 
unfortunate Magpie ; and these facts were related to the offi- 
cers composing the court-martial which sat upon the two re- 
maining men. The story was told with unaffected modesty ; 
and he who had so generously risked his life to save his mess- 



ADVENTURES OF MADAME DENOYER. 221 

mate, could not be prevailed upon to tell that part which sole- 
ly related to himself: but when the truth was out, and his 
messmate had done ample justice to the heroic act, they both 
burst into tears in the court, and ran into each other's arms. 
There was not a man in that court, either as captain or crew, 
who did not show how quickly the feelings of sailors can be 
touched, and how alive they are to recording a generous and 
manly act. 

The survivors were both strongly recommended for promo- 
tion, and the recommendation was not in vain — a few short 
months saw them warrant-officers ; and when I left that sta- 
tion some years afterward, these two men had gained the con- 
fidence and esteem of their commanding-officers, who found 
them sober, attentive, and alert in doing their duties. And thus 
it sometimes happens that the most unfortunate circumstances 
are the best roads to promotion and contentment. 



ADVENTURES OF MADAME DENOYER, 

Who loas turned adrift in a boat, in the open sea, between the 
Bahama Islands and Cuba, in 1766. 

The distressing situation to which Madame Denoyer, a 
courageous and unfortunate Creole of Cape Francois, in St. 
Domingo, was reduced, must affect every tender and virtuous 
mind. Her narrative shows into what excesses the base de- 
sire of gain is sometimes capable of leading men. 

M. Denoyer, an inhabitant of Cape Francois, where he had 
gained universal esteem, with a view to improve his circum- 
stances, formed the design of settling in Samana, a bay in. 
the portion of St. Domingo, then belonging to Spain. This in- 
tention he communicated to his wife, by whom it was ap- 
proved of 

After residing a year at Samana, Madame Denoyer re- 
quested her husband to return to Cape Francois, where her 
native air was more favorable to her health. M. Denoyer 
was too fond of his wife not to comply with her desire. They 
accordingly embarked in a small vessel belonging to them, 
with a child seven years old, another at the breast, and a fe- 
male negro servant, named Catharine. While they were 
preparing for the voyage an English vessel was lost upon the 

19* 



222 ADVENTURES OF MADAME DENOYER. 

coast ; the crew, however, had the good fortune to reach the 
land. As there was at Samana a small French ship just 
ready to sail, the shipwrecked men, eight in nnmber,Jnte* 
rested the commander, the Sieur Verrier, to receive them on 
board, and to take them to Cape Francois or Monte Christo, 
Being unable to accommodate them all, he proposed to Mr 
Denoyer to take two of them in his bark. One of them was 
the captain, whose name was John, and the other was called 
Young. 

M. Denoyer, being a man of a humane disposition, received 
them with pleasure, gave them linen and clothes, treated them 
with the utmost kindness, in return for which they promised 
all the assistance in their power to their benefactor. 

M. Denoyer set sail at the beginning of March, 1776, hav- 
ing likevvise on board two French seamen, whom he had 
hired to navigate the vessel. As they steered their course close 
in shore, when they arrived opposite the habitation of Manuel 
Borgne, several leagues distant from the place of their depar- 
ture, the two French seam.en requested M. Denoyer to put 
them on shore, as the assistance of the two Englishmen whom 
he had so hospitably received would be sufficient. With this 
request M. Denoyer complied. 

About ten o'clock the following morning M. Denoyer, with 
the help of the two Englishmen, set sail. They came to an 
anchor in the evening, at a place called Grigri, a league from 
Porto Plata, on the north coast of St. Domingo. They supped 
together near the shore, after which, covering the poop with 
palmetto leaves^ and erecting a kind of awning, they placed 
underneath it a matress for Madame Denoyer, her two chil- 
dren, and negro servant, to sleep upon. M. Denoyer threw 
himself upon another matress at the feet of his wife, v.h.ile the 
two Englishmen lay down at the head of the bark. 

They slept soundly till midnight, when they were awaked 
by the cries of their infant daughter. After milking the goat 
which they had taken with them for the purpose of suckling 
the child, M. Denoyer lay down again. About three or four 
o'clock in the morning his Avife was disturbed by the dull 
sound of a violent blow on the bed of her husband, whom she 
heard sigh. Trembling with affright, she aucke her black 
servant, crying, " Good God ! Catherine, they are killing M. 
Denoyer." At the same time she lifted up the cloth which 
composed the awning, when John darted toward her bed with 
a hatchet in his hand, and with a ferocious look threatened 
to kill her if she made the least motion to rise, and unless she 



ADVENTURES OF MADAME DENOYER. 223 

immediately let down the cloth; after which the perfidious 
assassin returned, and with two more strokes dispatched his 
victim; he then bent the sails, and Young repaired to the helm, 
with the intention of steering toward New- York. 

At break of day the bark was two leagues distant from the 
shore. Madame Denoyer, overwhelmed with fear, scarcely 
had strength to rise from her bed. But what were her feel- 
ings at the horrid spectacle which presented itself to her eyes ? 
She beheld the matress, upon which was extended the man- 
gled body of her husband, floating on the water ! The bar- 
barous John, aggravating his crinie by the bitterest raillery, 
said: " Make yourself easy, Madame, your husband is taking 
a sound nap." A nipment afterward he returned to her, arm- 
ed with a dagger, demanding her husband's arms and the 
keys of his boxes. 

Madame Denoyer delivered them to him. The villain hav- 
ing rummaged in every place, without finding any money, re- 
turned them. The disconsolate widow then melting into tears, 
(the source of which seemed to have been before dried up by 
grief and terror,) asked him why he had murdered her hus- 
band, since he had no money? The assassin replied that it 
was for the sake of the vessel, w^hich he had resolved to take 
to New- York. After these words the monster appeared to 
relent, and offered the afflicted lady tea and chocolate. She 
answered that she wanted nothing; upon which he told her 
not to grieve, that he intended her no injury, but, on the con- 
trary, would land her on French ground, with all her baggage. 
During the remainder of the day he left her at liberty to re- 
sign herself entirely to her sorrow. 

It may be supposed that the night afforded no repose to this 
unfortunate woman. The image of her husband, murdered 
by villains whom he had treated with the utmost kindness, in- 
cessaritl^r haunted her; their cruelty, their baseness, their 
brutality, augmented her apprehensions, and rendered them 
still more terrible when she cast her eyes on her beloved in- 
fants. While her mind vra* occupied with the most gloomy 
and afflicting ideas, she heard the two executioners of her 
husband planning an outrage which every virtuous woman 
dreads more than death itself John, the infam.ous John, pro* 
posed to his companion to take the servant, reserving the 
mistress for himself; but Young refusing to comply, the vil- 
lains, after fastening the helm, lay down. The black servant 
conceived the design of putting out their eyes with a nail 
while they were asleep ; but fearing lest they only feigned 
sleep, she relinquished the undertaking. 



224 



ADVENTURES OF MADAME DENOYER. 



At the dawning of the following day they set sail, and kepf 
out to sea. Madame Denoyer inquired whether they intend- 
ed to take her to New- York. They replied, that if she wish- 
ed to go to Cape Francois, one of them would take her, the 
children and black servant, thither in the canoe which they 
had on board. Anxiety concerning her future fate; the sight 
of the ^-illains, stained with her husband's blood ; her forlorn 
situation; her apprehensions and grief; induced her to ac- 
cept this offer, though the canoe was very small to with^and 
the fury of the waves ; this kind of boat being made of a 
single trunk of a tree, after the manner of those of the sava- 
ges of America. Having acquainted them with her resolu- 
tion, John told her to pack up her linen in a bundle, her box- 
es being too bulky to be removed into a canoe. He himself 
put into it a wretched straw matress, four biscuits, a pitcher 
containing about four quarts of fresh water, six eggs, and a 
small quantity of salt pork. John having put into it the two 
children and the black servant, searched Aladame Denoyers 
pockets, where he found her husband's silver stock-buckle 
and shoe-buckles, which he took from her, together with 
the linen which she had packed up. Having at length got 
into the boat, she waited with impatience for the conductor 
that had been promised her, when she saw Young cut the rope 
by which the boat was fastened : he then repaired to the helm, 
while John set the sails, and the vessel was soon out of sight. 
The sky and the ocean were the only objects she had then in 
view. 

Abandoned in the midst of the waves, far from any coast, 
the forlorn Avidow demanded relief of her husband's assassins ; 
she conjured them, with all the eloquence of an affectionate 
mother, to take compassion on her infant offspring. When 
her voice failed, she continued to supplicate with the most ex- 
pressive and affecting gestures. The assassins, deaf to her 
intreatiss, abandoned the wretched family to its fate, and dis- 
appeared. 

Consternation, the excess of ker grief, the danger which 
threatened the objects dearest to her heart, combined to reduce 
her to a state of total insensibilit5\ Her faithful servant em- 
ployed every method in her power to recover her mistress. 
She revived, but only to behold the abyss ready to receive 
her, to deplore the wretched situation of her beloved children, 
who were likely to be the prey of the monsters of the deep. 
She pressed them to her bosom, bedewed them with her 
tears, and every time she cast her eyes upon them she ima- 



ADVENTURES OF MADAME DENOYER. 225 

gined that she beheld them for the last time. Resig-ning her- 
self entirely to the direction of Providence, she suffered the 
canoe to float at the will of the waves. 

But the approach of a horribly dark night soon augmented 
her danger and her apprehensions. To crown the misfor- 
tunes of the distressed family, the wind began to blow with 
-great violence, the waves rose, and, amidst their impetuous 
shocks, a sea broke over the canoe, vv'ashed away the biscuit 
and fresh water, while the attention of the wretched woman 
was diverted from such a great misfortune only by the fear 
of being swallowed up by a wave still more tremendous. It 
is impossible to describe the protracted horrors of this terrible 
night. 

The wished-for dawn at length arrived, and brought calmer 
weather, but no other consolation. They beheld nothing but 
sky and water, and were ignorant which way to direct their 
course. In this desperate situation Madame Denoyer never 
ceased to implore the assistance of Providence, the onl}^ sup- 
port of the unfortunate. 

In this manner they passed seven days and seven nights, 
exposed to the inclemencies of the weather, without drink or 
food of any kind, excepting a little salt pork. Exhausted with 
fatigue, the enfeebled mother was every moment losing the 
little strength she had left ; but in this condition the idea of a 
speedy death was less terrible than the deplorable state of her 
children. In quitting them she was desirous of giving the 
most precious mark of maternal affection. She was on the 
point of opening a vein to prolong the life of the little inno- 
cent closely pressed to her bosom, when Catherine discover- 
ed a distant sail. This intelligence gave Madame Denoyer 
^lew life; both the women, shouted and made signs. They 
soon perceived that their signals were seen, and that the vessel 
Avas standing toward them. A new danger now intervened. 
The waves broke with such force against the ship as to ren- 
der them apprehensive that the canoe would be sunk if they 
attempted to get on board. However, by the management of 
the captain, the widow, the children, and the black servant 
were taken on board the vessel. She arrived safely in the 
road of New-Orleans, the place of their destination. Madame 
Denoyer had the good fortune to find there M. Rougeot, a 
notary, and near relation, who received her and her familv, 
rescued, as it were, from the tomb, with the greatest joy and 
affection. 

The inhabitants of Louisiana generously raised a subscrip- 



226 LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 

tion for the relief of the unfortunate lady. She gave her li- 
berty to Catherine, the faithful companion of all her distresses; 
but that female, touched with the gratitude of her mistress, 
refused to leave her, declaring that nothing but death should 
part them. 

The above facts were attested by Madame Denoyer before 
the proper officer at New-Orleans, to whom she likewise gave 
a description of her husband's ass'assins. Inquiry was made 
concerning them at New- York, but whether they perished by 
the just judgment of Providence, or found means to escape 
detection, was never ascertained. 



SHIPWRECK OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 

On the coast of Mexico, in 1678. Related by the Captain. 

Leaving Lima, the capital of Peru, in 1678, I proceeded 
to Callao, and there went on board a frigate, to the command 
of which I had been appointed. Her cargo consisted of flour, 
fruits, and a great number of chests for Panama, where we 
arrived safe on the 6th of May. As I was to take in another 
cargo of merchandise at Caldera, a port of Mexico, situated 
in the province of Costa Rica, I set sail for that place with 
several passengers. We left Panama on the 12th of May, and 
imagined that we should arrive as usual, in about nine days, 
at Caldera. At the end of a fortnight, however, we found our- 
selves under the necessity of coming to an anchor at the mouth 
of the Manglares, which descends from Chiriqui, a lofty moun- 
tain, celebrated for its gold mines. I there went on shore with 
some of the crew to procure a supply of provisions, which be- 
gan to fail. All agreed, that, as the passage we had to make 
was very short, it would be sufficient to take on board enough 
for eight days. I, however, prepared for the worst, and took, 
at my own expense, sufficient for a month; these provisions 
consisted of calves, pigs, fowls, maize, and some fruits of the 
country. 

Having again put to sea, we were tossed about with great 
violence by the waves during the eight days, in which, ac- 
cording to our reckoning, we should arrive at the place of 
our destination. On the ninth, at four in the afternoon, we were 
overtaken by a furious squall, which, together with the violence 



LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 227 

of the sea, drove us on a coast so lined with rocks, that if we 
had been carried a musket shot farther, the vessel must ine- 
vitably have been dashed into a thousand pieces, and we 
should all have perished, as there was no beach upon which 
we could have gained the land. To escape such imminent 
danger we hoisted out the cutter with all possible expedition, 
and endeavored to tow the frigate out to sea by the assistance 
of eight of our stoutest rowers. We labored with such dili- 
gence and success, that we accomplished our purpose. The 
tempest, and the efforts we had made to extricate ourselves 
from this perilous situation, had greatly fatigued us, and we 
were seized with such a listlessness, that about midnight, 
owing to the bad look-out that was kept, the ship got among 
the rocks, against one of which she struck with such violence 
that all the larboard ports were broken to pieces. 

At the noise of the crash we gave ourselves up for lost, 
conceiving, as we well might, that the keel had struck ; nor 
could we immediately ascertain the extent of the calamity, 
because it was so dark that we could not see. The supposi- 
tion Ave had formed caused us to pass the remainder of the 
night in the utmost inquietude, though the storm had abated. 
Fortunately, when daylight came, we found that our terrors 
had been greater than the injury we had received. The wind 
.hen appearing favorable, I ordered the sails to be set ; but it 
did not long continue, for, during the four following days it 
changed more than six times. At length, after being beaten 
about from one side to the other, we found ourselves again at 
the mouth of the same river where v/e had taken in our fresh 
suppl}/" of provisions. 

The passengers were not so much vexed as they would 
have been on any other occasion, for they had exhausted their 
provisions, and had lived for three days on the small portion 
which I had assigned them of mine. We were therefore 
obliged to land a second time. For fear of being again expos- 
ed to the like inconvenience, they laid in a stock sufficient for 
a fortnight, and purchased a quantity of plantain fruit, which 
are excellent eating when ripe. For my part I again took 
provisions for a month, choosing rather to have some left than 
'0 run the risk of being in want of them. 

We now set sail again, and proceeded as far as the Cape 
of Borica, when we were overtaken by a calm that detamed 
us at that place twenty-two days. It lasted from break of 
day till sunset, and then a light breeze springing up, we con- 
tinued OUT course all night ; but the contrary currents that 



228 LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 

prevail on those coasts caused us to lose more way in an 
hour than we had made in six. As soon as the dawn of day 
began to appear, the man at the mast-head cried out, with de- 
monstrations of joy, " land ! land !" but when it was light, this 
land was discovered to be the point of Borica, which we left 
at the beginning of the night, and this circumstance caused 
us the greatest mortification. 

However, unable to redress this misfortune, we endeavored 
to divert our thoughts from it, by employing ourselves in va- 
rious ways; some in fishing, others in reading, and others 
again amused themselves with bathing in the sea. In this si- 
tuation we passed the greatest part of the time in conversing 
on our common misfortune, sometimes deploring it beyond 
measure, and sometimes unable to refrain from laughing at it. 
Our provisions were consumed during this long calm; we 
were therefore necessitated to go on shore for the third time. 
I was of opinion that we should return to Panama, but the 
pilot and seamen declaring that with a wind the least favora- 
ble we should arrive in four or five days at Caldera, I at 
length yielded to their persuasion ; therefore, put the ship 
about, and returned for a fresh supply of provisions to the 
mouth of the Chiriqui. We took on board a larger quantity 
than before, and again set sail ; and after a passage of eight 
days, came in sight of the island del Cagno. Some of the crew 
now flattered themselves that in two days we should reach the 
wished-for port of Caldera. 

But men are liable to be mistaken in their judgments. The 
weather, that had been clear and serene, suddenly changed. 
The sun had just set when the pilot ordered the sails to be 
lowered, apprehensive of a tempest, which was threatened by 
a small cloud that approached us. It no sooner became ver- 
tical than it spread in every direction, and poured down upon 
the frigate torrents of rain, accompanied with such tremen- 
dous thunder and lightning as to strike terror into the most 
intrepid. There was a mixture of light and darkness, which, 
though it filled us with horror, was, however, of considerable 
assistance; for the lightning, by which we were on all sides 
surrounded, afforded us light to work the ship. Our efforts 
were of little avail ; we became exhausted, and came to the 
resolution of suffering our wretched vessel to drive at the will 
of the wind and waves. 

At length at the return of the day the storm abated; but 
as the sky was still overcast with the same cloud, we could not 
promise ourselves fair weather. The pilot endeavored to find 



LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 229 

eut in what latitude we were; but, notwithstanding all the ob« 
servations he took, according to the rules of his art, he could 
not even form a conjecture. I sent for him into my cabin, and 
asked him if we should not do better to seek on the coast some 
situation sheltered from the wind, and secured from the vio- 
Aence of the waves, to which we might retire until the weather 
became fair, rather than to continue to beat about at a venture, 
m uncertainty, and liable to be overtaken by another storm, 
which might involve us in destruction. The poor man, with 
tears in his eyes, was unable to make me any answer, except- 
ing that his sins were doubtless the cause of the ill success of 
our voyage, and that he knew not what to do, because the 
sailors would not longer obey him. I ordered them to be 
tailed, and having questioned them, they replied they be- 
lieved we were near Caldera, and that we should be able to 
see it when the weather cleared off 

In this hope we continued cruising about in the same lati- 
tude for five days. On the 6th the weather was serene, and 
appeared perfectly favorable : the pilot took an observation, 
and assured us that we were certainly not more than ten 
leagues from the port, and that we should soon discover land. 
We immediately set all our sails ; nevertheless we continued 
our course till night, without perceiving it. The next morn- 
ing he still persisted in his opinion, till about noon he disco- 
vered some lofty mountains, but it was nearly tAvo hours be- 
fore he could tell what land it was. At length, after having 
minutely examined them, he declared, with the greatest mor- 
tification and chagrin that they were the mountains of Chiri- 
qui, to which place we were again driven back by the force of 
the currents. 

It is impossible to conceive the disappointment of all the 
passengers when they learned this disagreeable intelligence. 
They vented imprecations against the pilot and me, and we 
had the greatest difficulty to appease them. I again propos- 
ed to return to Panama, which place we might have reached 
in five days ; but the passengers, most of whom had business 
of importance to transact in the province of Costa Rica, re- 
presented that we ought not to be discouraged, that we had 
only to rest four or five daj^s at Chiriqui, which, notwithstand- 
ing the number of mosquetoes, was a very pleasant place, and 
then we might proceed on our voyage with better fortune. 
This proposal was supported by the pilot, who, with greater 
boldness and effrontery than ever, swore that he would carry 
the ship into the port of Caldera in five days, or burn all hiz 

20 



230- LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 

books. I yielded, and we went to rest ourselves at Chiriqiri 
for the fourth time. We remained there six days, during 
which we refreshed ourselves, and ate as many oranges, both 
sour and sweet, as we could find on the side of the mountain. 
Then having laid in another stock of provisions, we again 
set sail. It was now eighty-one days since our departure from 
Panama. 

The next day a fresh breeze sprung up, so that, with only 
part of our sails, we imagined we made more way than we 
had done at any time during our voyage ; but the day follow- 
ing the sky became overcast, the wind lulled, the pleasure we 
felt at proceeding with rapidity was changed to vexation, when, 
at the end of twelve days we found that we had made but little 
progress ; contrary currents having set us back in the night 
as far as we had advanced during the day. Our provisions 
meanwhile began to fail, and we were no longer at Chiriqui 
to procure a fresh supply. At length our necessities increased 
to such a degree, that, having no other food but a small quan- 
tity of maize, which was in the hog-trough, this disagreeable 
mess, left by those filthy animals, was divided among us in 
equal portions. When this was consumed we made a hash 
of the tough carcass of an old spaniel, which had hitherto 
been a favorite of mine. All the crew devoured with avidity 
this wretched galimaufry, of which there was not sufficient to 
satisfy them. 

The following day a fresh repast was prepared of the bull's 
hide that my dog had been accustomed to lie on, and which, 
on his death had.become a useless article. It was boiled down 
till converted into a blackish glue, that did not much contri- 
bute to prepossess us in favor of its taste. But so far from be- 
ing disgusted, our hunger had become so craving, that we 
swallowed it with as much relish as if it had been the most 
delicate jelly. The same day a negro sailor opened his box, 
in which he had preserved two plantains : one of them he ate, 
shell, rind and all, and with the greatest secrecy brought the 
other and presented it to me, requesting me only to give him 
the shell. The moment he received it he greedily devoured it, 
fearing lest some one should come and take it from ?iim. The 
crew were still abundantly provided with wine, the immode- 
rate use of which had not a little contributed to the bad man- 
ner in which the frigate was steered. 

treeing the principal seamen, and the pilot in particular, at 
a loss what to do, and that so many faults acknowledged by 
them had stripped them of those airs of assurance which 



LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 231 

they had attempted to impose upon me relative to their capa- 
city, I took aside, consoled and encouraged them in the most 
friendly terms I could use. I had no difficulty to persuade 
them to steer for the land in whatever direction it might lie. 
They were so bent upon this measure, that if we had come to 
a shore inhabited by the most savage Indians, the most irre- 
concilable enemies of the Spanish nation, they would have 
steered for it with joy, to relieve us from the cruel extremity 
to which we were reduced. Some of them watched all night, 
in the hope of discovering some mountain that might direct 
them in their course. 

At daybreak, by unexpected good fortune, the man at the 
mast-head cried "A sail! a sail!" This sound diffused the 
utmost joy through the whole crew : we had the satisfaction 
to see that the other ship answered our signals and was ap- 
proaching us. The captain, who was a Mexican, and a friend 
of mine, no sooner knew that I commanded the frigate, than 
he hoisted out his boat and came to me to offer his services. 
After the first compliments, he informed me that we were 
near the island Del Cagno, on the south coast of the Ameri- 
can isthmus, at the extremity of the province of Costa Rica. 
It is only a league from the continent, lies in 8 deg. 30 min. 
north latitude, and is uninhabited. We resolved to put into 
it together to refresh ourselves. 

When Don Louis de Legnare, the Mexican captain, was 
informed of the extremity to which we were reduced, he 
immediately sent on board the frigate, fowls, bread, fruits, 
and other refreshments, capable of recruiting our exhausted 
strength, and taking away the bad taste of the old spaniel and 
his bed. We at length landed on the island, dined in the re- 
freshing shade of some plantain trees, situated on the banks 
of a pleasant rivulet, which, at the distance of one hundred 
paces from the spot, discharged itself into the sea. Don 
Louis's vessel being freighted only with provisions, fruits, &c. 
that he intended to dispose of at Panama, the passengers in 
the frigate and my sailors had abundance for their money. 
They took no more than was sufficient for four days, under 
the certain expectation that in two or three days they should 
arrive at Caldera. For my part, I was gratuitously supplied 
by Don Louis with all sorts of poultry, fruits, biscuits, pre- 
serves, chocolate, and other articles ; but, notwithstanding all 
my entreaties that he would suffer me to pay him for them, 
he would not consent, saying, I might perhaps, some day do 
as much for him. 



232 LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 

We remained the rest of the day in the delieious island and 
enjoyed great pleasure. Toward evening we all repaired to 
our respective ships, excepting Don Louis, who resolved to 
pass the night in mine. The next morning we parted, each 
vessel resumed her course, and our voyage was so successful, 
that on the following day, at seven in the evening, we came in 
sight of the so-much-wished-for port. Nothing but rejoicing 
was now heard among tiie crew, who could scarcely moderate 
their transports. For my part,. I was so overjoyed that I gave 
my crew a cask of wine containing about ten gallons ; and a 
Genoese merchant on board made them a present of another. 
The sailors were too strongly disposed to present gratification 
to defer till the next day the enjoyment of such an agreeable 
present. They tapped it immediately, and finding the wine 
excellent, they began to make copious libations to Bacchus. 
The pilot, who was at their head, encouraged them by his ex- 
ample. They played their parts so well, that in a short time 
the casks were emptied, and they soon experienced the effects 
of their intemperance. 

The Genoese merchant,, fearing lest some mistake might oc- 
cur in the working of the ship, very prudently determined to 
place himself between the pilot and the man at the helm, who 
steered by his orders ; because he had observed that the for- 
mer, who was stretched on a chair and quite intoxicated ^ gave 
directions from memory, as being within view of a port with 
which he was perfectly acquainted. The merchant, therefore, 
placed himself at an equal distance from each, to repeat the 
pilot's order. This excess of precaution was our ruin ; for 
the pilot having called to the steersman^ "-To the north-west," 
which was actually the course we should have taken to reach 
Galdera, the merchant cried out stammering, " To the north- 
north-west." The helmsman conceiving the pilot had given 
this direction, steered, without hesitation, N. N. W. which, 
while it carried us farther from the port, at the same time 
brought us nearer the land. 

Night meanwhile came on, and the passengers and I were 
sleeping in profound security. About two in the morning, be- 
ing suddenly awaked by the noise of the waves furiously dash- 
ing against the rocks on the coast, I jumped up and exclaimed 
in astonishment, " How now, pilot ? Are we already enter- 
ing the port ?" At the second or third repetition of these ques- 
tions the pilot, rousing himself from his drunken lethargy, 
and rising from his chair to look about him, perceived with 
horror tha.t i^e frigate was on the point of striking against a 



toss OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 233 

rock, which could scarcely be discerned on account of the ex- 
cessive darkness occasioned by the shade of a lofty mountain 
covered with trees. He instantly called out, " Put the ship 
about." But it was too late, and the unfortunate vessel, im- 
pelled by the violence of the wind and waves, was dashed al- 
most at the same moment against the rock, with such force 
that her side was shattered ; a mountainous sea, which had 
broken against the same rock, overwhelmed the frigate on its 
return, and filled the stern-cabin. 

Nothing was now heard in the ship but the most dreadful 
outcries and lamentations, which succeeded the shouts of joy 
and intemperate mirth occasioned but a few moments before 
by the fumes of the wine. Nothing can equal the distress and 
confusion which every where prevailed. Some, awakened by 
the shock, cried out along with the rest, though half asleep 
and ignorant of the cause. The noise, the darkness, the 
shrieks, augmented the horrors of the scene. The most de- 
plorable thing was, that we all saw we were lost, and yet 
none was able to say by what strange reverse we were over- 
whelmed with destruction just at our entrance into the port; 
and I was just as ignorant of the cause as the rest. Amidst 
this consternation some Avere on their knees on the deck, ad- 
dressing vows to heaven for their safety, others with folded 
hands implored the Almighty for mercy, while others loudly 
acknowledged their most secret crimes. 

Though surrounded with this scene of distress, I, for my 
part, preserved that composure with which God has endowed 
me, and which I have the good fortune never to lose, in what- 
ever danger I am involved. Seeing that they were all on the 
point of perishing, for Avant of adopting the only measure 
suited to the critical situation we were in, I encouraged these 
unfortunate men to exert themselves for their own preserva- 
tion. I persuaded them first to cut away the masts, and to 
secure the planks, beams, and other things capable of sup- 
porting us on the water, and assisting us to reach the shore. 
I then ordered them to throw overboard every thing which, 
by its weight, would contribute to sink the vessel more rapid- 
ly. With these precautions, and the aid of the pumps, I kept 
the ship afloat till the dawn of day. 

But what proved of greater service than any thing else, 
was the advice I gave them, for every two to fasten about 
them a long cord, one at each end. This expedient saved 
the lives of a considerable number; for when the frigate, 
which had opened every where, foundered in spite of our 

20* 



234 i-ossr or a spAmsK frxcfate; 

pumping, the crew being obliged to betake themselves to such 
plank or pieces of wood as chey could lay hold of, to endeavor 
to reach the shore, it often happened that the first who got to 
land drew after him his companion at the other end of the 
cord, and who w^as frequently on the point of perishing. In 
this manner I drew on shore the pilot, who certainly was not 
worth the trouble ; and we all arrived safe on shore, excepting 
five or six, who were dashed by the fury of the waves against 
the rocks or the ship. 

A few hours afterward the tide, having ebbed, left the frigate 
almost dry, so that it was easy for us to take out what was in 
her and carry it on shore. Scarcely any thing was lost, for 
we recovered most of the articles that I had ordered to be 
thrown overboard. We returned thanks to the Almighty fo? 
having preserved our lives, after which we set fire to the ves- 
sel to get at the iron w^ork, which we stowed away on the 
shore, together with all our effects and provisions, under thick 
trees, which situation we had chosen that Ave might be shel- 
tered by them from the intense heat of the sun. 

As we had no design of remaining long in that place, I ad- 
vised the crew to choose some one of the company to command 
them, representing to them that otherwise there would be 
nothing but disorder and confusion. They unanimously en- 
treated me to exercise the office of commander, I complied. 
I immediately enforced my authority, and divided them into 
three detachments, sending one in search of water, the second 
in quest of provisions, (for what we had saved from the ship 
was wet and unfit for use,) and the third to reconnoitre the 
country, and see .if they could discover any habitation, the 
pilot declaring that we were onljr three or four leagues from 
Caldera. The first detachment soon returned, bringing some 
excellent water, which they had found near the place. The 
second came back, a few minutes afterward, loaded with wild 
fruits, but of a bad taste, and the eggs of tortoises. They like- 
wise reported that they had seen a hedgehog, and the dung 
of turkey-fowl. 

Pleased with this discovery, I sent them back to procure a 
further supply of water and eggs of tortoises. There was 
such a prodigious quantity of these eggs on this coast, that In 
every hollow in the sand on the beach they found two or three 
hundred. We ate them with great appetite, though they had 
a certain brackish flavor, offensive both to the taste and smelL 

We spent the rest of the day in constructing small arbors 
with the branches of the palm-tree. At sunset the third de- 



L0S9 OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 235 

tachment returned, which at first gave us great joy, flatter- 
ing ourselves that they had doubtless discovered some habi- 
tation. They, however, reported that they had met with a 
river so deep, so rapid, and so full of crocodiles that it was 
impossible for them to cross it. I blamed them for suffering 
themselves to be impeded by such an obstacle, since, by cut- 
ting wood, they might have formed a raft, on which they might 
have passed the river. For fear they should play some other 
stupid trick, I resolved to go with them myself the next day. 

Accordingly, deputing one of the company to take care of 
those who remained, I left them, with the injunction, that if 
they did not hear of me in eight days, they should leave their 
effects and proceed after me, at the same time charging them 
not to leave the coast. We then set off. I was armed with 
two pistols and two bayonets, stuck in my girdle: beside 
which, I carried my sword in my hand. ]My musket was car- 
ried by a sailor, and on this the whole company founded their 
hopes of procuring subsistence. The others, beside their 
swords, were each furnished with a hatchet, cord, knife,, tin- 
der-box and matches. 

After proceeding two hour^ by a sandy and fatiguing route, 
we arri\'ed on the banks of a river, to which we gave the ap- 
pellation of River of Crocodiles, though there were not, in- 
deed, so many of those animals as the detachment had reported. 
In order to cross, we determined to march along its banks 
till we came to some wood, where we could procure branch- 
es proper for making a raft. We found one at the distance 
of two leagues, took away as much wood as we wanted, and 
returned to the spot from which we had set out, resolved not 
to leave the coast, in hopes that agreeably to the opinion of 
the pilot, we should arrive at the port of Caldera. Having 
formed a raft in the best manner we were able, Avith our 
hatchets, wood, and cords, we ventured to abandon ourselves 
upon it to the current of the river, which was very rapid. 
The men made on it a kind of seat of rushes for me; 1 got 
on it the first, after taking my musket from the man who car- 
ried it. The pilot placed himself at one end, and a stout sea- 
man at the other, each of them having a long pole and two 
oars to guide the raft. As we could not all get upon it with- 
out sinking it with our weight, we divided ourselves; one 
party waiting on the banks of the river till the raft should 
return to convey them over. A long cord was fastened to it, 
that those who remained behind might draw it back when 
the others had passed. This done, we took care of the cords 



236 LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGA-fE. 

which we thought we might again want, and I ordered tlitf 
branches to be thrown into the river, that the company might 
be prevented from entertaining any hope of returning till we 
had found some habitation, and discovered whether we were 
on the continent or on an island. We marched about six 
leagues farther, and theri passed another fiver in the sam« 
manner as before* 

At sunset we arrived at a spacious beach, where we halt- 
ed, being greatly fatigued. This was the case with me more 
than any other; for having passed through very wet and 
swampy places, my shoes got so wet that the leather had 
stretched, and the sand penetrating through them, incommod- 
ed me exceedingly. As they were, therefore, productive of 
more pain than comfort, I threw them away. While we 
Were looking about for an elevated spot where we might re- 
pose and pass the night, we heard a noise near an old tree, 
whose trunk was hollow with age. Approaching it to disco 
ver the cause, a large kind of lizard, called by the inhabit- 
ants of Spanish America Iguana, ran out of it. It is the ug- 
liest animal to which nature has given life, but its flesh is the 
more delicate, and in taste resembles pullet. The pilot made 
a stroke at it with his hatchet, with such success as to cut it 
in two. We were in great vvant of such a fortunate supply 
to recruit our strength, which a long and toilsome march, but 
more particularly the want of nourishment, had almost ex- 
hausted. This lizard was three quarters of a yard long, and 
\vas sufficient to make us a good supper. Having broiled it 
on the coals, we enjoyed our repast, and then went to sleep. 

At daybreak we resumed our route. About ten o'clock 
we ascended a very steep mountain, and then entered a thick 
wood full of thorns and briars, to avoid a cape which would 
have obliged us to make a great circuit. I here suffered 
very much. By walking I had worn out the feet Of my 
stockings, and my bare feet not being accustomed to such a 
rough road, were soon torn and scratched all over. It was 
still worse when, on leaving the wood, we reached the sea- 
shore; the sand, heated by the sun, raised blisters as large as 
pigeon's eggs on the soles of my feet. These blisters break- 
ing, the sand penetrated to the quick, and gave me excessive 
pain. My sufferings excited the compassion of my compan- 
ions, who obliged me to halt beneath a verdant arbor, which 
they prepared on the banks of a rivulet, and in which we took 
shelter from the scorching heat of the noon-day sun. While 
part of the company reposed, the others collected, in the 



LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 237 

holes at the foot of the rocks on the sea-coast, a great num- 
ber of a kind of periwinkles, but were at a loss how to dress 
them. We could have wished to eat them boiled, but we had 
no vessel to put them into, and were obliged to be contented 
with roasting them on the coals ; after that we made a hearty- 
repast. 

After dinner, the necessity of proceeding obliged us to set 
off again. I prepared to depart in spite of my blisters ; my peo- 
ple wrapped up my feet in the best manner they could with 
linen rags, on which we pursued our course till sunset, when 
we arrived on the banks of a pond, but were so harassed by 
a great quantity of gnats, that, notwithstanding our fatigue, 
we were unable to remain there. We were obliged to quit 
the spot and continue our march till ten o'clock at night. 
We were now filled with the greatest uneasiness, and our ap- 
prehensions of being attacked by the wild Indians -were the 
more augmented, as we had perceived a light among the 
trees of a neighboring wood; but we had no farther reason 
to be terrified. 

The day following we pursued our route and came to a ri- 
Tulet, on the banks of which we found a fire lighted, and a 
great number of shells of plantains scattered round it. This 
at first led us to conclude that there must be near the spot 
some of the trees which bear that fruit. Our search for them 
was, however, in vain. About noon we arrived at a broad ri- 
ver, bordered by lofty trees that afforded a refreshing shade. 
Pressed by hunger, we threw out a line and took three large 
fish, and broiled them. We crossed a river on a raft as be- 
fore, and continued our walk till we arrived at another of still 
greater magnitude, on the banks of which we passed the 
night ; one of our number keeping watch, that we might not 
be surprised, while asleep, by the Indians. 

At day break we saw around us a great number of palm 
trees, cut some of their shoots, and ate the hearts, which are 
tender but insipid. A littler farther w^e found a kind of fruit, 
of the color of the mulberry and the size of an apricot. The 
inhabitants call them Icacos.. It is a sourish-sweet, and has 
a very agreeable taste. We liked it better than the palm-tree 
shoots. After traversing a wood and a mountain we regain- 
ed the sea-shore, where we perceived on the beach a great 
number of sea-crabs. We flattered ourselves with the hope 
of a good repast, but were miserably disappointed ; the nim- 
ble fellows, with their crooked claws, were such excellent 
runners that the most alert of our people pursued them above 



238 LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 

half an hour without being able to catch more than four. But, 
to' compensate for the loss of them, having observed a great 
number of parrots on some neighboring trees, I had recourse 
to my musket, of which we had hitherto made no use, and 
killed six, which furnished us an excellent meal. They were 
of a species, the flesh of which, though hard and black, is ex- 
tremely delicious; when young, and consequently more ten- 
der, they are a dish fit for a king. We again set off and pass- 
ed the night near a cape, where we found abundance of the 
fruit called Icacos. We ate those raw which were the ripest, 
and broiled the others. 

With the morning's dawn commenced our fifth day's jour- 
ney. We passed two rivers on rafts, without meeting with 
any thing to eat till six in the evening, when I killed a pea- 
cock that perched on the summit of a tree, at the foot of which 
I was sitting to rest myself. We regaled upon, it and ate as if 
it had been the most delicious morsel we had yet met with. 
At noon the following day we arrived at a deserted hut, Avhere 
we found a great quantity of ripe plantains. We ate half ot 
them, carrying the remainder with us, not without apprehen- 
sions of being surprised in the fact, or afterward pursued by 
the owner of the cottage and all his family. But we were so 
fortunate as to see nobody. We continued our march till night, 
which we passed on the banks of a river, after making a sup- 
per on the plantains we had stolen. Though we had eaten a 
great quantity of them during the day, and this kind of fruit 
is pernicious on account of its excessive coldness, yet none of 
us experienced any inconvenience. 

The following day four of our company went to a moun- 
tain, at the distance of two leagues, to fetch wood proper for 
making a raft in order to cross the river. They left one man 
behind with me. I could scarcely stand, but was obliged to 
rise soon after their departure. The occasion was certainly 
worth the trouble ; it was to fire at a flock of ring-doves which 
came and perched on a tree about fifty paces from me. I crawl- 
ed almost on all fours nearly to the foot of the tree, as much 
from weakness as from fear of scaring them away. I fired 
with such success as to kill eighteen at one shot ; so that my 
comrades, on their return, found a banquet they did not ex- 
pect. Their joy on this occasion was so great that they scarce- 
ly perceived that they wanted wine to make the entertainment 
complete. The dates which they brought from the wood served 
for bread. 

After such an excellent repast we recommenced our march; 



LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 239 

I mustered all my strength, and kept up with the rest as well 
as I was able ; but after walking several hours, being unable 
any longer to support myself on my sore feet, I entreated my 
companions to continue their journey without me, as it was 
not just, that for the sake of an individual, the others should 
run the risk of perishing ; that I would follow them as well 
as I was able, as soon as my feet were better ; adding, that if 
they met with any Spanish habitations, I trusted they would 
send for me ; but if the country was uninhabited, they might 
lake such measures as they should think lit ; and recommend- 
ing them above all things to keep together. 

It is impossible to conceive how deeply this address affected 
my little troop ; they could not refrain from tears, and opposed 
the resolution which I had stated that it was my determination 
to take, swearing they would not forsake me, were they even to 
run the risk of perishing, and offered to carry me on their shoul- 
ders. This proposal I refused, as too fatiguing to them, and as a 
measure which would retard them too much ; telling them that 
their time was precious, and they ought diligently to prosecute 
their design, which was to repair to the port of Caldera. But, 
notwithstanding all I could say, they would not be denied, and 
I was obliged to suffer them to carry me. They all performed 
this duty with the greatest pleasure, relieved each other by 
turns, till seven o'clock at night. 

They then halted, as much for the purpose of reposing as 
to eat and refresh themselves. Having fortunately found some 
of the same kind of periwinkles as before, we broiled them 
on the coals. These, however, did not fully supply our ne- 
cessities, for the fatigue of walking, and the intense heat of 
the sun during the whole day, produced excessive thirst, our 
throats were inflamed, and we wanted fresh water to quench 
the fire which consumed us. Proceeding a league farther, we 
fortunately came to one of the most delightful rivers that was 
ever seen. Its banks were lined on each side with lofty plan- 
tains loaded with fruit, and whose branches meeting over the 
stream, formed a most agreeable kind of bower as far as the 
eye could reach. 

We returned thanks to God for this fortunate discovery, and 
with avidity appeased our thirst. Our joy was still farther 
increased when the pilot, having looked about him, declared 
that he knew the place, and that the charming stream we were 
admiring was the river St. Anthony. He assured us, that at 
the distance of about four leagues there was a rich farm 
abounding in cattle, belonging to Alonzo Macotela, of the city 



g40 LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 

of Esparza, in the province of Costa Rica. The fruit of the 
softy trees, whose beautiful foliage we could not sufficiently 
admire, served us for supper that night. To create varietVi 
we ate them raw, broiled, and roasted under the ashes. We 
then crossed the river on a raft, and night coming on, we lay 
down to sleep with greater tranquillity than the preceding 
night. 

The next morning three of our men were despatched to the 
farm of Macotela ; I remained behind with two others, all that 
and the following day, during which we lived on the crabs we 
caught in the river. My companions were the Genoese mer» 
chant, who has been mentioned before, and a monk of the 
order of Mercy. On the night of the second day the latter 
was charged to watch, to prevent a surprise, while the mer- 
chant and I slept ; but the sentinel, who understood the mo- 
nastic better than the military duties, fell asleep likewise, till 
about eleven o'clock, I was suddenly awaked by a noise A^^hich 
seemed to call me by my name. I called the monk, but as 
he made no other reply than by snoring, I rose up, and at the 
same time distinctly heard myself called, though at a great 
distance. 

I awoke the Genoese merchant and the monk, and soon 
afterward we discovered on the river a large raft, on which 
were above twenty persons. They were conducted hj Don 
Domingo de Chavarria, the pastor of the town of Esparza. 
Our three men who had been sent off to the farm of Maco- 
tela had there met with him, and told him in what state they 
had left us on the banks of the river St. Anthony, to await 
their return. The good pastor, following the impulse of a 
benevolent mind, came to seek us with refreshments to re- 
cruit our spirits. He immediately set off with all his domes- 
tics, some of his friends, and all the provisions he could col- 
lect. Being informed who he was, and for what purpose he 
had come, I ran to salute him the moment he landed, at the 
same time expressing my gratitude for his kindness. The joy 
of the merchant and the monk, on this deliverance from the 
danger of perishing of hunger and of being surprised by the 
wild Indians, was equal to mine. Don Domingo and his com- 
pany appeared to be as highly gratified with having found us, 
so that we were all happy. 

The time and place not being suited to a long conversation, 
we all crossed the river on the raft. When we were on the 
ether side, each mounted a horse, excepting myself To re- 
lieve my feet, I was slung in one of those suspended beds 



LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 241 

f 

wkich are so much in use in all parts of the American con- 
tinent. Six stout Indians carried me alternately, two at a time, 
on their shoulders, better than the best mules in the country 
could have done. In this manner we arrived, a little before 
daybreak, at the farm of Macotela, where we rested some 
time, and then proceeded to the town of Esparza, I was car- 
ried to the house of Don Domingo, where I found our three 
companions who had gone before us. 

Having arrived in such a good port, our first care was to 
render sincere thanks to divine Providence for our deliver- 
ance. The next thing I did was to send a courier to Carthago, 
the capital of Costa Rica, to acquaint Don Juan de Salinas, 
the governor of that province, with my arrival. I knew him, 
because I had seen him at Lima, where I had contracted a 
particular friendship with him. The courier made such des- 
patch, that in twenty-four hours after his departure the go- 
vernor entered my apartment. I informed him of the circum- 
stances and consequences of our shipwreck, and at my request 
he immediately despatched a frigate to take., on board our 
companions in misfortune, Avho, I knew, must, by this time, 
have been weary of waiting for relief. 

The crew being made acquainted with the place where they 
would find them, set sail, but returned two days afterward with 
the account that they had found nobody. We were persuaded 
that thejr had not gone to the place to which they had been 
directed, and therefore Don Juan de Salinas sent another ves- 
sel, ordering the crew to go on shore, and to bring certain in- 
telligence of my comrades. The ship accordingly proceeded 
ta the spot, and the crew landed on the beach; but seeing no- 
thing, the captain sent out some of his people to make search 
in the neighborhood. They made a circuit of more than two 
leagues, searching every place, both to the right and left, but 
without seeing any person ; at length perceiving that all their 
labor was in vain, they returned to make their report. 

When they were just setting ofTto go on board, one of them 
perceived on the strand a large heap of leaves, which did not 
appear to be placed there Avithout design. He kicked them 
with his foot, and found under them a variety of articles, iron, 
&c. This discovery surprised them, and neither his comrades 
nor he could conceive why the men had thus abandoned them. 
After some deliberation they resolved to remove them on board 
of the ship, and returned to give an account of their mission. 
Every body at Esparza, and I among the rest, imagined that 

21 



242 LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

my comrades had been surprised and carried off by the sa- 
vages, and we despaired of ever seeing them again. 

Four days afterward, the governor being at dinnex with me 
and the pastor, a horseman, in full speed, arrived at the gate, 
who with the utmost terror, stated that he had seen a power- 
ful army of English marching between the wood and the sea. 
He was immediately conducted into the house, and assured 
us of the same thing. His terror convinced us rather than his 
words ; every one rose, and the alarm-bell was rung. Univer- 
sal consternation ensued, for the people of the town were too 
badly armed, and still worse disciplined, to make a vigorous 
resistance. The governor mounted his horse, and notwith- 
standing my weakness, I accompanied him to assist in draw- 
ing out his people. The noise, the tumult, and the disorder 
increased every moment. People came from all quarters an- 
nouncing the approach of the enemy. 

Don Juan and I went out of the town to reconnoitre, and 
scarcely had we proceeded fifty paces, when we saw approach- 
ing, in a very tattered condition, the little troop, which alone 
composed the formidable army we had been threatened with* 
1 laughed at this panic-terror when I had discovered the 
cause, and T\^as extremely rejoiced to see that my companions 
in misfortune had escaped the danger I had dreaded. I ques- 
tioned them concerning their adventures. They informed me, 
that having waited three days beyond the time fixed, they had 
set off according to my advice ; that they had followed me 
along the coast, and had subsisted nearly in the same manner 
as I had done. 

I remained almost a month at Esparza, which I left under 
the conduct of good guides, after receiving every possible re- 
lief from the charitable Don Domingo and Don Juan de Sa- 
linas, together with letters of recommendation from the latter 
to the Viceroy of New Spain, to whom he was related. 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP, 

Commanded hy Captain Nathaniel Uring, in 1711. 

Captain Nathaniel Uring having been appoin»ted to the 
command of a sloop to trade to the Leeward Islands, in the 
beginning of November, 1711, the events which attended the 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 243 

prosecution of his voyage are so various and interesting, that 
we shall lay them before our readers in the captain's own 
words. 

" We set sail from Jamaica in company with another sloop 
belonging to the same o\\'ner, in order to load logwood and 
sarsapariila on the coast of New Spain, and had agreed to 
rendezvous at Truxillo, if we lost company ; touched at 
Blewfields, where we watered, and proceeded on our voyage. 
I being then unacquainted in those seas, had a pilot sent on 
board by the owner, and I was directed to keep company with 
the other sloop commanded by Captain Gill, who was reckon- 
ed a good pilot in that part of the world. 

" After we had sailed about a week from Jamaica, having 
little wind, saw the coast of the Moschettos ; and at the same 
time the wind began to freshen, with a small drizzling rain. 
The wind soon after shifting from the N. E. to the N. and N. 
by W. and blowing hard, tacked and stood to the eastward; 
the wind increasing to a storm, obliged us to haul down our 
main-sail and jib, and lay by under our fore-sail. Night com- 
ing on, lost sight of our consort, and made several false fires, 
but was not answered, so that I gave over the hopes of seeing 
her any more. 

" About nine or ten of the clock at night, there being a very 
great sea raised by the wind, our bowsprit gave way and fell 
under the lee bow; endeavored to save it, but the sea running 
so high, could not, and being afraid it would stave a hole in the 
bow of the vessel, were obliged to cut it away; and while 
some men were cutting away the bowsprit, others were car- 
rying the hawser forward for a stay, in order to secure the 
mast, and then reefed the fore-sail and set it; but the storm 
continuing, were soon obliged to haul it doAvn again. About 
eleven o'clock at night we suddenly saw the water look very 
white, which made me afraid that we were upon some shoal, 
and immediately hove the lead, and found fourteen fathom wa- 
ter : kept heaving it, expecting every moment to be ashore. 
Set the fore-sail again. I inquired of my pilot in relation to 
the depth of water, but found he knew nothing of the matter. 
Hove the lead several times in the space of a quarter of an 
hour, and had almost the same water, it shoaled very little, 
which gave me hopes that we were not in so much danger 
as I before feared. The wind easing a little, we double reef- 
ed our main-sail and set it, and hauled down the fore-sail, 
which kept the sloop's head more to the wind. In about an 
hour the water shoaled to thirteen fathom, and so to twelve, 



244 LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

and then eleven ; and about three o'clock we had but ten, and 
quickly after nine fathom, which made me afraid we should 
be drove on shore by daylight. I looked on my draught 
of those seas, which laid down several ledges of rocks and 
shoals, and expected nothing less than to be thrown on some 
of them every moment, where we could expect nothing but 
immediate death. This, I must confess, was a melancholy 
prospect ; the tedious hours went heavily away, wishing and 
longing for the day in hopes to see some island or harbor 
where we might save the vessel and our lives. We had less 
water every cast of the lead, and were come into eight fa- 
thom when the day appeared, the sight of which revived our 
sinking spirits, and gave us some hopes of deliverance; but, 
alas ! when it was light, that we could see about us, we found 
ourselves near the shore. The storm continuing, and the wind 
blowing right upon it, by this time had drove us into less than 
seven fathom water; then set the fore-sail, to try if the vessel 
would bear it, or must soon have been drove ashore. Made 
hard shift to carry it, and gathered again ojff the land into 
eight fathom. 

" The land was very remarkable in several places ; and 
seeing an opening which looked like an harbor, or large river, 
I took notice of it to my pilot, and inquired of him if he knew 
it ; he confessed he did not ; and having no one on board ac- 
quainted in those seas, except himself, were entirely at a loss. 
I called all the seam.en together, and asked their opinionsi, 
whether they were willing to run the risk of their lives, and 
venture for the place which Vv^e saw look so like an harbor, 
and perhaps might find water enough to go in. They all an- 
swered they were willing to submit to any thing I thought 
proper. I had thoughts of venturing, but considered it was a 
shoal coast, and that it was the highest probability there was 
not water enough for the vessel ; and if there was not, and 
she should touch the ground, she would quickly be in pieces ; 
and the strength of the current runing out of the river, as it 
appeared to be, would force us into the sea again, and then 
all must inevitably perish. Upon these considerations I chose 
rather to run the risk of the wind's easing or changing, or that 
probably we might discover a small island as we stood along 
shore, where we might anchor and be preserved. 

" Having set our fore-sail as above mentioned, we gathered 
a little off the shore, and withal deepened our water till about 
ten o'clock, and were again got into nine fathom: but the 
land stretching more to the eastward, soon began to shoal qui 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 245 

water agfain to eight fathom, and so to seven. My pilot see- 
ing a remarkable tuft of trees, said he knew the land ; and 
further to the eastward he grew more confirmed in it ; but 1 
having consulted my draught, it laid down a great many rocks 
and shoals thereabout, which gave me little hopes ; but stand- 
ing to the eastward, we still raised the land, and the pilot said 
positively he knew it was Cape Gracia de Dios ; to the east- 
ward of which, round that cape, he said was very good and 
safe anchoring, as the wind then was, where he had been seve- 
ral times ; and further said that we should weather the cape 
in five fathom water. I was glad to hear he was so positive 
he knew the land ; and in weathering the cape had no more 
than five fathom water, which confirmed me that he was right 
in his judgment. As soon as we deepened the water the pilot 
said it was time to bear away ; did so, but soon shoaled the 
water again, and the pilot was afraid he was mistaken, and 
then said he was right again ; but we soon saw the pilot had de- 
ceived us, for we struck upon a shoal of rocks, and gave but 
few thumps before the main-mast jumped out of the step ; and 
for fear the foot of the mast should force out the sloop's bow 
and sink her immediately, we made haste to cut it away ; but 
having but one ax, had hard work to do it, as we had also in cut- 
ting away the vessel's gunwale, in order to launch the canoe 
overboard. 

"The mast being gone, we could have no assistance of 
tackles, and found it very difficult to launch her into the sea, 
she being very heavy ; but being apprehensive of the sloop's 
beating in pieces upon the shoal, every one outdid themselves, 
and at last, with much ado, got her into the water, by which 
time it was near night ; and being at least two leagues from 
the shore, made haste to leave the sloop, that we might reach 
it before it was dark, and only took with us one piece of beef, 
our small arms, a little gunpowder, some small shot, an ax, 
and an iron pot, and then put for the shore, which we did not 
reach till near eight o'clock at night ; when near it, we saw 
the break of the sea so high, and at such a distance from it, 
were very much afraid of the canoe's oversetting before we 
should be able to get thither ; but there being no way to save 
our lives but through that danger, were obliged to put for it, 
let the consequence be what it would. It being moonlight, 
we watched a favorable opportunity of a smooth sea, and im- 
mediately rowed for the shore, the sea breaking over us seve- 
ral times before we came to it, and by the providence of God 
we happily landed » 

21* 



246 toss OF A JAMAICA SLOOF. 

"As soon as we were all out of the canoe we hauled EeT 
upon the beach, and then endeavored to go back from the wa* 
ter side into the woods, which we saw at some distance, in or- 
der to get fire and shelter ourselves, being both cold and wet, 
and sadly fatigued ; but w^hen we attempted to go toward the 
woods, we came quickly into a morass, and were up to the 
mid-leg, and sometimes up to the knees in mud and water ; 
and what made it the more troublesome, it was full of long 
cutting grass intermixed with briars, which very much in- 
commoded us, and tore our legs in several places. After w^e 
had gone near a mile in this miserable way, we came to the dry 
land, and went into the edge of the woods, where, by the help 
of a pistol and some gunpowder, we made a fire and dried 
our clothes ; then cut down some small trees, with which, and 
the branches of others, we set up a little hut to shelter us from 
the rain, in which we designed to rest and refresh ourselves, 
after two days and a night's fatigue. We lay down in our 
hut, but found it was impossible to sleep, there being millions 
of musketoes and other biting flies about us : so that neither 
mouth, nose, eyes, nor any part of us, was free from them } 
and whenever they could come at our Skin, they bit and stung 
us most intolerably. 

"As soon as it was day went to the water side to look for 
the sloop, but not seeing her, concluded she was beat in pieces 
upon the ledge of rocks. Having but one piece of beef, about 
six pounds, and no bread for our vvhole company, being six- 
teen in number, we began to think of looking out to see what 
we could get to subsist on ; and therefore I sent the people 
different ways, to hunt, and see whether they could discover 
any inhabitants. In about four hours some of them returned 
with a bunch of green plantains, wdiich they had found grow- 
ing in an old deserted plantation, w^here they saw sweet cas- 
save J this discovery came very seasonably to our relief; as 
soon as we found bread kind, we boiled our beef and refreshed 
ourselves. 

"The following day I distributed amongst my people some 
small arms, powder, and shot, which I had directed to be put 
into the canoe when we left the sloop, in order to kill such 
creatures as probably we might find in that country, to pre- 
vent our being starved, if we found no inhabitants. The men 
being thus provided, I ordered them to go different ways to 
hunt, and observe if they saw any paths in the woods by 
which we might find some of the natives, concluding we were 
not far distant from the people, by reason of the little deserted 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA StOOP. 247 

plantation, where were the remains of a little hut or Indian 
cabin. I also took my gun and went a different way ; and es- 
pying a tiger-cat upon a tree, I fired, but missed her, which, if 
I had had the good fortune to have killed, would have been 
sufficient to have made us a plentiful meal. Having hunted 
several hours in the woods, and meeting nothing worth shoot- 
ing, I returned. Some of our people came back soon after with 
several large fishing-hawks which they had killed ; and not- 
withstanding they were very toagh and fishy, we ate them 
very heartily. 

" The next day, being the third after our being cast away, 
the people went out again to see what they could ki]l, and 
some of them soon returned with more Imwks, which we were 
dressing, when others brought with them a large piece of a 
cow. When I saw the beef 1 inquired how they came by it; 
they told me they found it single in the woods, and shot it, be- 
lieving it to be wild ; but soon after seeing three or more which 
appeared to be tame, they found their mistake. I was very 
sorry the people were so rash, being apprehensive of the ill 
consequences that might attend it. 

" By the time we had dined upon the beef, a native of the 
country came to us, who spoke broken English ; by him we 
understood, that about sixteen or eighteen miles farther to the 
southward there were inhabitants, and that a vessel lay sunk 
near the shore a few miles from., us, without any mast or peo- 
ple in her ; this we judged to be our sloop. He told me also 
that some of our people had killed a cow belonging to Cap- 
tain Hobby, one of the chief men on that side of the country ; 
and said, he would be much displeased when he heard of it. 
I told him I was very sorry for it, but that the seamen had 
killed it believing it to be wild. I was glad to hear we were 
near inhabitants, and that the sloop was drove so near the 
shore, as we hoped to get some provisions. 

" The weather proving more moderate, and the sea pretty 
well dmvn, we launched the canoe ; and while some of the 
men rowed her along shore, others walked by land, and so 
continued till it grew night, and then hauled the canoe ashore, 
and turned her bottom up. Part o: us took up our lodging 
under her, and part upon the sandy beach ; but those under 
the canoe soon quitted their lodging, by reason of the flies not 
suffering them to sleep, choosing to lie in the open air, where 
the wind blew most of them away. In the night two of our 
men left us, and carried with them my fowling-piece and a 
musket, with good part of our powder and shot. 



248 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 



" In the morning we launched our canoe, and pursued ottr 
journey as before. About noon we saw our vessel sunk near 
the shore; we went on board, but found every thing gone out 
of her. I ordered the canoe to Black River, where she was 
conducted by an Indian, and went myself to the Indian ha- 
bitations, where I found most of them very happy ; some of 
them so drunk that they could not speak. We had the good 
luck to find one or two sober, who showed us where they had 
laid some of our provisions, which our people went imme- 
diately to dress, being all very hungry. Black River running 
up near the Indian habitations within the land, our people 
brought up the canoe ; the sober Indians were very courteous, 
and gave us some of our own rum and sugar, with which we 
made some punch, and cheered our spirits; they also let us 
know where they had hid some of our rum, from whence vre 
took a small cask and put it into our canoe. 

" The next day Captain Hobby came to us, and behaved 
very civilly, though he made a heavy complaint for the loss 
of his cow. I assured him our men would not have killed it 
if they had not believed it had been wild ; at which he seemed 
better satisfied, and was very friendly, seeming very sorry for 
our misfortune. 

" This country being all a low flat, morassy ground, we 
were grievously pestered with flies, so that it was almost im- 
possible to sleep. As to the Indians, I did not perceive they 
found any inconvenience, or that they took any notice of them. 

" In four or five days we fitted our canoe as well as we 
could, in which we fixed a small fire-hearth to dress our pro- 
visions, having put into her as much provisions and water as 
we could go safely to sea with. Taking Avith me eight of my 
people, we put to sea, intending to make for Truxillo, which 
was the place appointed for our rendezvous, and where we ex- 
pected to find our consort. Captain Hobby lending us another 
canoe to carry the rest of our men, we rowed round the cape 
where we were cast away, which we then knew went by the 
name of the False Cape ; this makes me believe some other 
people had been deceived in it as well as my pilot, who had 
given it that name. Having passed the cape, we stood down 
along the shore with our sails ; and at night let go our grap- 
lin, and lay by till morning, for fear of passing our consort, 
which we hoped to see upon the coast. As soon as it was 
light we weighed and pursued our voyage, keeping as near 
the shore as we could with safety, as we designed to call at 
Plantain River, to inquire whether they had seen her pass by. 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 249 

At night we anchored again. We boiled the pot every day ; 
our food was flour and water boiled like hasty-pudding, with 
some little bits of beef to give it a relish, instead of butter and 
salt. In prosecution of this voyage in the canoe, I found it 
very troublesome and fatiguing ; for having no rudder, it was 
very hard work to steer her with a paddle, for which I had 
occasion to use my whole strength. Being at that work most 
part of the day, I was heartily tired before night ; and scorch- 
ing in the sun all day in the latitude of 16 degrees, added to 
our pain. But the fatigue of the night was still worse than 
the day ; for the canoe being very leaky, it was impossible 
for me to sleep in her bottom, where the water washed con- 
tinually from side to side ; I therefore laid one of the paddles 
across the canoe's gunwale, to keep my legs out of the water, 
and one of the seats or thouts I placed under the lower part 
of my back, with my shoulders on the stern-sheets : in this 
manner I slumbered, and got now and then a short sleep. 

" Three or four days and nights passed in this manner, till 
discovering the huts on the point of Plantain River, we saw 
the English flag hoisted. As soon as we opened the river we 
put in for it, but as the water was shallow, and a heavy sea 
beating on the shore, it was with great difficulty we got in 
without being overset or filled with water. As soon as we 
arrived at the river we were welcomed ashore by the white 
men who resided at that place ; we told them our story, and 
inquired if they had seen any vessel lately on that coast ; they 
said they had not, but commiserated our condition, and gave 
us such fresh provision as they had. 

" After having refreshed ourselves and cheered our spirits, 
we set about fixing a rudder to our canoe, and completed it 
that night. At bed time I asked one of the inhabitants to show 
me where I should lodge; being conducted to the place, I went 
to sleep ; and though I found it hard enough for my sore 
bones, I slept very heartily, being the first tolerable night's 
rest I had got since our being cast away. 

" Having lost a good part of our powder and shot by our 
two deserters, on going to Black River, I let the white men 
know our necessity, who supplied us with some more ; and 
having staid only one night at this place, in the morning we 
took our leave, and pursued our voyage for Truxillo. We 
left Plantain River, and steered along shore for Cape Come- 
rone ; passed by it, and after several days and nights being at 
sea with our usual fare, came in sight of the port of Truxillo, 
but found no vessel there, which gave me additional trouble 



250 LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

and anxiety. We put our canoe's head to the eastward, in or- 
der to return to Plantain River, but had not rowed above five 
or six miles, (being now obliged to row against the wind,) be- 
fore the sky beg;an to lovver, grow cloudy, and thicken apace 
to the northward, which threatened an approaching storm. It 
being then about four or five o'clock in the afternoon, I thought 
it high time to provide for our safety before night, by putting* 
the canoe ashore or into some river ; but there being a very 
great sea, either was very dangerous ; and to keep the sea m 
a storm was still worse ; and so of two evils I chose the lesser. 
Seeing the opening of a river, we endeavored to get in ; but 
the sea ran so high at the mouth of it that it filled our canoe 
and threw us ashore on the west side. With a good deal of 
hard labor we freed her and put her into the river. It being 
now night, we anchored in the middle of the stream, in hopes 
of being free from flies. The night proving very stormy, we 
thought ourselves very happy we had got into so good an har- 
bor. In the morning we rowed about two miles up the river ; 
and observing a little ridge of land standing above the rest, 
landed there, and soon after pitched a tent with our canoe's 
sails ; we cut down the branches of the cohone trees, to lay 
at the bottom of it to sleep upon and keep us from the wet 
ground. The weather continued very stormy, and in the night 
there fell such a prodigious deal of rain that it occasioned a 
continual rivulet to run through our tent ; and we lay in water, 
though it was placed on the highest ground; being also very 
much pestered with musketoes and other stinging flies, which 
would not suffer us to sleep. 

" In the morning the rain ceased and it grew fair weather, 
though the wind continued to blow hard. We began to look 
about to see what we could meet with for the mouth, and went 
on the other side of the river in order to hunt. We saw a 
large guana on the bough of a tree, which one of our people 
endeavored to take with his hand, but it escaped into the river, 
and so we lost a creature that would have given us all a good 
meal. We had not gone far into the woods before we saw a 
company of Irage black monkeys, of which we killed several, 
and then returned to our tent. Our people thought these mon- 
keys excellent victuals, and ate them very greedily ; though, 
for my own part, it was several days before I could prevail 
with myself to taste them, they looked so much like young chil- 
dren broiled. But it was not long before I got over the preju- 
dice, and ate them as heartily as any of our men. The flesh 
of a monkey has some thing of the taste of ill-fed pork, and 
are about the bigness of a full grown hare. 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 251 

"After two or three days being in the river, we rowed up 
several miles, to see if we could discover the signs of any in- 
habitants, or a more convenient place to pitch our tent ; but 
found the whole country flat and morassy, and not the least 
sign of any people. The weather continued bad for eight or 
ten days, often raining very hard; and being still plagued 
with flies, were obliged to quit the woods and go to the sea- 
side, into the breeze, to get rid of them ; but found we had 
not changed much for the better, for the sand flies there were 
almost as troublesome as the musketoes in the woods. 

" In a day or two after we changed our quarters one of 
our people took a hicatee asleep upon a log of wood m the 
river, as it was sunning itself, on which we feasted plentifully. 
It is an amphibious creature, and like what is called a tortoise 
or land turtle. In two or three days after we removed to the 
sea-side I was seized with a violent pain in my right thigh ; 
it swelled extremely, and looked very red, insomuch that I 
could neither stand nor go ; from the excessive pain of my 
thigh, and the biting and stinging of musketoes and sand 
flies, I had no rest either night or day, my hands being always 
employed in beating ofl* the flies from my face. Our powder 
and shot being all spent, except a little reserved to make a 
fire, we lived chiefly upon cabbage, which grew there in great 
numbers, some of the trees grow to fifty or sixty feet high, 
the circumference being about four or five feet. The cabbage 
is close, very white, short, and well tasted, and I thought 
sweeter and better than our English cabbage. In this river 
we frequently saw numbers of large alligators, and it was 
usual for eight or ten of them together to come ashore upon 
a point of sand near the river's mouth, in the middle of the 
day, to sun themselves. Our provisions growing short, be- 
fore I was lame, I endeavored to shoot some of them for food, 
but had not the good fortune to kill any. 

"When we had been here ten or twelve days, the weather 
was grown pretty tolerable, but there was still a great sea beat 
upon the shore, when the seamen took it in their heads to go 
to sea in the canoe, in order to get to Plantain River ; and 
notwithstanding my lameness, and earnest entreaties to the 
contrary, I could not prevail with them to stay a day or two 
till I was better, in which time the sea might have fallen, and 
we should then not run half the risk in going out of the river, 
as at this time. I made shift to crawl to the canoe, and placed 
myself in the stern-sheets, and with the help of my boatswain 
undertook to steer her. It is commonly observed, that the sea 



252 LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

breaks upon the shore in three or five seas quickly succeed- 
ing each other, and then a small intennission, when it is mo^ 
proper to put from the shore. Being come to the river's mouth, 
as soon as the great seas were over we rowed out ; but our 
canoe being heavy, we were not able to get without the break- 
ers before the great seas approached us, at which time we 
were a good distance from the shore between the breakers ; 
and seeing our danger, I encouraged the people to row brisk- 
Jy over them ; but the sea rose so high, and broke so terribly, 
that they were all alarmed and confounded ; the sea broke in 
upon us, and the canoe being filled half full, canted her broad- 
side to it, for want of their pulling with their oars as they 
ought to have done. I perceived our danger, and another sea 
ready to break in upon us, with the help of my boatswain I 
turned the canoe's head to the shore ; and the very moment 
we had done so the sea broke over us from end to end, filled 
the canoe, and forced her very swiftly toward the shore ; the 
seamen sitting still, prevented her oversetting; one sea follow- 
ing close upon the back of another, quickly drove us on shore 
on the west side of the river ; happy it was for us that the ca- 
noe's stern was in the sea when it reached us, or otherwise 
she must have been turned bottom up ; and being in the cur- 
rent, which ran strong out of the river, v/ould have drove us 
to sea, where we had no chance for saving our lives. We 
hauled up the canoe and freed her, and with a good deal of 
labor and pains put her again into the river. When the sea- 
men got into safety, they swore the most bitter oaths that they 
would not go to sea in the canoe any more, but would travel 
by land to Plantain River. 

"They communicated to me their intention, and desired 
what provisions were left might be equally shared. I then re- 
presented to them the lame condition I was in, and that it was 
impossible for me to travel by land, since they saw I could 
hardly stand ; and conjured them not to leave me in such sad 
distress, Avhere I must inevitably perish, being incapable of 
helping myself. I desired they would stay but two or three 
days, in which time my leg might possibly grow better, or the 
sea would be smoother, so that we might be able to proceed 
without much danger ; and also represented to them the very 
great hazards and difficulties which would attend their going 
by land, the many large rivers that were between us and Plan- 
tain River, beside the fatigue of traveling, and the risk they 
ran of the wild beasts devouring them, in which that country 
abounded; but all I said could not divert them from their 
present purpose. 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 253 

" The pilot, a poor helpless old fellow, and a boy, were the 
only persons left with me ; they had divided the provisions, 
and left me such a share as they thought fit, hardly equal to 
theirs, and prepared for their journey by every man packing 
up his little bundle. I began seriously to reflect and con- 
sider with myself what course to take, having, since our at- 
tempt to go out of the river, found a very sensible alteration in 
my leg for the better, which I made no show of, but limped 
as before, in hopes my lameness would have induced them 
not to have left me in that helpless condition ; but when I sav/ 
they kept to their resolution, and even took the ax with them, 
which was all we had to trust to, to keep us from starving, I 
halted after the man who had the ax, and desired he would 
let me have it, but found him inflexible. I then endeavored to 
force it from him, but he calling others to his assistance, pre- 
vented my taking it. 

" I knev/ that about eight miles distant was the great river 
of Remain, which they must pass to go to Plantain river ; and 
considered that when they saw it, if I went with them, by my 
pointing out the hazard and difficulty to get over it, I might 
persuade them to return ; and therefore took up my bundle 
and followed them. When we came in sight of the river, I 
found it very broad, and a rapid stream ; the people began im- 
mediately to cut down some dry trees, in ord«r to make a float 
to pass over it, and the meanwhile I sat down on the bank 
with one of them, who had been lately sick, and had no great 
relish for the journey. As we were viewing the breadth of 
the river and the swiftness of the stream, I took the opportu- 
nity to represent the great difficulty and danger which attend- 
ed the passing it, and that we should be driven out of the ri- 
ver's mouth before it was possible for us to reach the oppo- 
site shore ; that we had not only that river to pass, but seve- 
ral more such before we came to Plantain river, and many 
other difficulties to encounter ; therefore I thought we had bet- 
ter return to the canoe, and wait a few days for a favorable 
opportunity to put to sea, in which we could not possibly run 
a quarter part of the risk and danger we were throwing our- 
S3lves into. This man being feeble and tired, lent an open ear 
to all I said, and communicated it to the rest of the people. 
They having already tired themselves by cutting down trees, 
the ax being dull, and having not yet provided a quarter part 
wanted for making the float, began to listen to the man, and 
think there was some reason in what he said ; upon which 
they greAV more serious, and retired into the woods out of my 

22 



254 LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

hearing, to consult what was most proper to be done, and came 
to a resolution to return to our former quarters ; accordingly 
we all went back. 

" I began to flatter myself that 1 had obtained my purpose 
to go in the canoe, Avhich I was desirous to do for tAvo rea- 
sons ; one was, because it would prevent the great hazard 
and labor we must expect in going over the several rivers we 
must pass, beside the fatigue of traveling about sixty miles 
upon the sand, in a very hot country, and the danger of being 
devoured by tigers, alligators, or other ravenous beasts ; and 
the other reason w^as, if we traveled by land, I must leave the 
canoe, with the greatest part of my clothes, beside the small 
arms and the iron pot, so useful to us. Having returned to 
our old quarters, v/e fed chiefly upon cabbage, saving the lit- 
tle provisions we had left to the last stake. Here we remain- 
ed three or four days ; it being tolerably fair vv^eather, and the 
sea being much smoother, I proposed to put to sea ; but the 
seamen refused, and swore they would not go in her any 
more. I talked pretty smartly to them, and told them what 
they deserved ; and that if but one man would go with me, I 
would leave them. My boy and two men consented to go; 
and Ave set out accordingly about eight o'clock in the morn- 
ing, and in about three hours we reached the mouth of the 
river of great Remain ; to which place several of the people 
(growing into better temper) went with us, and assisted us to 
make our bark logs. We found scattered upon the banks of 
the river several bamboo trees; these we got together, and 
cut into proper lengths, and fastened them to each other to 
make bark logs, in order to get over the river. We had a 
fishing line, w^iich was divided between us ; myself and the 
boy one half, and the two men had the other half, each bark 
log carrying two persons. We left the ax with the rest of 
the people, who returned to the canoe, and we set forward 
w'ith our two bark logs ; we paddled up close by the side of 
the river, keeping as much out of the current as possible, in- 
tending to go a good way up it before we endeavored to cross 
it, that we might be in no danger of driving out of the river's 
mouth. We kept paddling till half an hour past six o'clock 
at night; and seeing a fine green spot, clear of bushes, close 
to the river's side, we landed there, and took up our abode 
that night ; but on stepping ashore, several large alligators 
flounced from thence into the vrater close by us, which very 
much startled us. Finding this place convenient for us, we 
made fast our bark logs, and then made a fire to prevent the 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 255 

tigers or alligators from disturbing us. Being tired, we soon 
fell asleep round the fire ; for the fatigue of the day had made 
us forget the danger of the night. We had provided a pistol, 
and a little gimpowder in a calabash, which was close waxed 
up, to prevent its being damaged, with which we made a fire 
when we found it necessary. 

" In the morning, as soon as it was light, we mounted our 
bark logs and continued paddling up the river ; but the stream 
was so rapid that we went up but slowly, and sometimes were 
not able to bear up against it. We endeavored to haul up by 
the branches of the trees which hung over the river, but they 
being tender twigs, afforded but little assistance. When I 
came within my depth, I waded and pushed the bark log be- 
fore me, but was soon out of foot-hold, and then mounted the 
bark log again, and W'orked with our paddles, and yet made 
but little riddance, finding it very hard to strive against the 
stream. We often saw large alligators leap from among the 
bushes into the water just by us ; notwithstanding which I 
was often obliged to run the risk of being seized by them, 
there being often a necessity to wade, or we could not force 
the bark log against the stream. At last, with great toil and 
danger, in six or seven hours we got three or four miles up 
the river, till we came the length of an island which lay near a 
quarter part over it ; but were hard put to it to get thither, the 
island dividing the stream of the river, and redoubling its 
force, so that it was with great difficulty we reached it. Hav- 
ing surmounted the difficulty, we rested awhile, and then pad- 
dled about half a mile further up the side of the island; be- 
lieving ourselves so far up that we might safely venture to 
cross it, we put over, and happily reached the other side 
about a mile above the river's mouth, then drove down the 
current till we came to a convenient place near its entrance, 
and landed about three o'clock in the afternoon. The weather 
being hot, and having no wind, and only my shirt on, and 
that leaving my thighs very often bare, the heat of the sun 
scorching them, made me frequently throw water on them to 
keep them cool, not thinking of the consequences ; but soon 
after we landed I found them extremely sore, very red, and 
blistered in several places, which grew very painful. We un- 
lashed our bark logs for the sake of our lines, ate a little 
morsel of bread with about an ounce of raw salt beef, and fill- 
ed up with the limpid stream. Being thus refreshed, we set 
forward, and travelled eight or ten miles that night ; before it 
grew dark we made a fire near the sea-side, in order to take 



256 LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

up our lodging, but having had no water since parting from 
the river Remain, were almost famished, and ready to die with 
thirst ; having found some cocoa plumb-trees, we took up our 
quarters, and searched them very narrowly for fruit ; found 
two or three plumbs, which moistened my mouth, and gave ^ 
me great relief In a little time after, by digging in the sand, 
we found fresh water, and satisfied our thirst. 

"As soon as it was day Vv'e pursued our journey, and about 
ten o'clock in the morning came to a river with a very deep 
and rapid stream, but not above a quarter so broad as that al- 
ready passed. Finding bamboos scattered over the point of 
the river, we gathered them together, and began to make our 
bark logs. In about three hours we completed them, and put 
over the river, and found less trouble in'passing than we ex- 
pected, by reason half the breadth of it on the farthest side 
proved to be shoal water, and not above mid-leg deep ; this 
we found little inconvenience in wading through. When over, 
and had taken our line from the bark logs, it being about two 
o'clock in the afternoon, we sat down by the river-side to din- 
ner. Having eaten as much as we could afford, and washed 
it down with large draughts of water, we proceeded on our 
journey, but found it very troublesome traveling on dry and 
loose sand, beside the inconvenience of bad shoes. We at- 
tempted several times to travel through the woods, but found 
the underwood so thick, and the ground morassy, there was 
no passing that way, and were obliged to keep by the sea-side. 
We waded over several rivers, some up to our knees, others 
to oar middle, and others up to our chin. One of the men 
could swim, and he used to try first whether the rivers were 
fordable, which if he found, we forded over ; and if not, we 
made our bark logs and went over upon them. We traveled 
about eight or ten miles after passing over Limehouse River, 
(for so that river was called where we dined,) and it being 
near night, we made a fire according to custom, and rested 
till morning ; then went forward, fording many rivers in our 
way. About noon we came to a headland that jutted into 
the sea, Avhich put a stop to our going by the sea-side ; the 
rocks being very high and steep, the sea beating violently 
against them, we chose to go back into the woods, where we 
found it less troublesome, with an intent to go through the 
country till we should get on the other side of the headland ; 
and accaxdingly marched up the hills for that purpose, hav- 
ing with great difficulty traveled up and dov/n several, often 
obliged to haul ourselves up from tree to tree, and slide down 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 267 

again on the other side, easing ourselves down the branches 
to prevent our falling. Having wandered for several hours 
in this manner, and being in hopes we had passed the head- 
land, and withal beginning to be apprehensive we should not 
be able to get out of the woods before night, there being more 
danger of wild beasts, and much more unwholesome sleeping 
than at the sea-side ; we therefore thought it absolutely ne- 
cessary to recover it before it was dark, and having descend- 
ed between two hills into a deep narrow valley, we found a 
fine rivulet, very seasonable to quench our thirst. I concluded 
this rivulet led to the sea, and therefore followed the stream ; 
but it having many turnings and windings, we went several 
miles round before we came to it, and to our great mortifica- 
tion, found ourselves still on the same side, and not far from 
the place where we entered the w^oods. The sun being set, 
we gathered wood and made a fire ; here we continued till the 
morning, and then attempted to go over the hill, but found it 
impossible to force a way through the penguins, briars, and 
other prickly plants that grew there. We retired, after tear- 
ing our clothes and losing some of our flesh, and then took a 
very desperate resolution to climb over the cragged part of the 
rocks, very steep and high, and extremely dangerous to pass ; 
these we got over by stepping from one hole in the sides of 
the rocks to another, and from one crag to another, holding 
by the ragged part of it with one hand, and our spare clothes 
with the other, and by the assistance of Providence we all got 
over. We now went on cheerfully, believing the worst of our 
journey over ; in about an hour after, by the sea-side, I found 
a cocoa-nut ; I soon opened it, and found it full of milk, which 
I drank with great pleasure, and then divided the nut among 
the people. After we had traveled about ten miles we came 
to another point of rocks, but this we got over without much 
difficulty. Having gone about six long miles farther, it grow- 
ing night, Ave made our fire according to custom, and in the 
morning proceeded on our journey, fording over many rivers ; 
it was showery weather, and being but thinly clothed, I was 
often wet to the skin, but soon dried again by the wind and 
sun. About nine o'clock in the morning we came to a low 
flat point of land, w^iich, by the sea beating continually upon 
it, had washed away the earth from the roots of the trees 
which had grown there, and left them lying scattered very 
thick all over the point. 

" Having got over this troublesome place, we were in ex- 
pectation every moment of coming to some habitations. We 
22* 



25S LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

went on several miles farther, but found no signs of inhabi- 
tants ; and having made an end of our little provisions the day 
"before, began to be quite out of heart, and apprehensive of 
starving, having nothing with us that could by any means 
provide for our subsistence. We came to a large lake or la- 
goon of water, which had a communication with the sea, the 
stream of which I observed ran out of the sea into the lagoon. 
One of our men forded it^ and went on the other side to see 
what he could discover; and in about two hours returned 
with the joyful news of having discovered the print of a man's 
foot, which gave us hopes of noi being iar from the inhabi- 
tants. With much ado we forded over the mouth of the la- 
goon, and continued on our journey till we came to another 
deep and rapid river, which there was no passing without 
bark logs ; Ave fell to our old work of gathering bamboos, 
and such dry wood as we could gather to make them ; but 
they being very scarce, could not gather so many together 
that night as we wanted. Made a fire upon the point of the 
river, where we took up our lodgings ; several showers of 
rain incommoded us very much, and had almost put out our 
fire; we grew faint and weak for want -of sustenance; how- 
ever, about nine o'clock the next morning, we finished our 
bark logs, and put over the river. Having landed, dried our 
clothes, that we might travel the lighter, which had been our 
custom in our whole journey, they being wet in passing the 
rivers, and being continually pestered with musketoes and 
flies, and more so whenever we s^t or lay down, we proceed- 
ed along the shore, and had not gone above half a mile before 
we discovered a path which led into the woods, the sight of 
which gave me inexpressible joy; we followed it, and in 
about half a mile farther we saw a hut, and soon after, to our 
great comfort, a white man appeared. He asked us who Ave 
were, and from Avhence Ave came; AA^e related to him our mis- 
fortunes ; he pitied our condition, and asking Avhere the cap- 
tain was, he Avas told I vA-as the person, and my name; he 
said he knew me AA^hen I commanded a packet-boat to Ja- 
maica, and Avhat his cottage afforded I should he very Avel- 
come to. He soon provided us Avith something to eat, Avhich 
we had great need of This person's name Avas Luke Haugh- 
ton, Avhose family consisted of two AA'omen and an Indian boy 
of about fifteen years of age; the boy Avas his slave, as Avas 
one of the Avomen, Avho used to sleep Avith him, and dress his 
provisions, whom he kept as his Avife ; the other Avoman Avas 
a slave to a white man Avho was absent. A little distance 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 259 

from Luke Haughton's there lived another white man, who 
had also two slaves, an Indian man and woman. I told 
Haughton where we had left the rest of our company, and 
would have hired him and the other white man to have fetch- 
ed them up in their canoe, and for their trouble I promised 
them our canoe, iron pot, and small arms; but they would 
not undertake so dangerous a voyage on my account; and 
these people had like to have paid dear enough for their in- 
discretion, for if it had not been for a Jamaica sloop, which 
by great accident passed by that coast, and seeing a smoke 
on the shore, and knowing there were no inhabitants near 
that place, supposed they were people in distress; it being 
fair Aveather and smooth water at the same time, they sent 
their canoe thither and took them on board when they were 
almost starved; the pilot having had his reward for under- 
taking what he was incapable of, he being starved to death. 
The seamen would have shot him long before I left them, if I 
had not prevented them. My padrone's habitation was near 
Cape Camerone, which is the western part of the Moschetto 
coast that is inhabited. He lived in the same manner as the 
natives; when he wanted provisions he went a hunting, and 
always brought home something to eat, sometimes warree or 
deer, and at other times corrisos, quams, or monkeys, though 
he would seldom kill corrisos or quams, (not thinking them 
worth a shot,) if he could kill warree, deer, or monkeys. When 
he returned we had as much boiled as would serve the fami- 
ly, and the rest was barbecued to keep it from stinking, not 
being provided with salt enough for that purpose, nor would 
salt preserve it so well. The warree is shaped like a hog, 
with this difference, they are of a less size, their ears, legs 
and tail are shorter in proportion than those of the hog, and 
have what they call a navel upon its back, which is placed 
about two thirds toward the tail, and are two lumps of flesh 
about the bigness and shape of their kidneys, which li« just 
within the skin on each side of the back bone, between which 
issues out a matter which casts forth a strong scent, not much 
unlike that of a fox; they keep in droves ; their flesh is very 
sweet and good, I think much better than European pork. 
When they find themselves hard chased, they wdll turn upon 
dogs or men, and often wound the dogs with their tusks : and 
sometimes the men are in great danger of being hurt by them. 
They are easily discovered by the scent. It is an ordinary 
thing when they are to windward of you, to smell a drove of 
them more than a mile. The piccary is much another such 



260 ' LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

creature; both these are reckoned the best food the country 
affords. The deer are small and seldom fat. Monkeys are 
the same as those already described, which are generally fat. 
The corriso is near as big as a middling turkey, the color in- 
clined to black; it has a yellow bill, and the cock has a fine 
tuft or plume of feathers on his head of several colors, which 
makes it a beautiful bird ; but their flesh is not quite so good 
as the turkey. The quam is not so big as the corriso, but 
the flesh is better tasted, and is generally fatter. I am in- 
formed these fowls lay but two eggs before they set. The 
inhabitants always take care to bury their bones to prevent 
the dogs from eating them, it will make them run mad. Their 
bread kind is sweet cassave and green plantain roasted, Avhich 
we had mostly from old Indian plantations up the river. This 
shows the country has been full of inhabitants, though there 
are so few now; beside the old Indian plantations, each white 
man has a small plantation of plantain and banana trees; and 
w'hen they had a mind to increase their number, after gather- 
ing the fruit, they dug up the roots, and divided each of them 
into three or four parts, and planted them again; and from 
each part there sprung a tree. 

'' On Christmas eve my padrone went out a hunting in order 
to provide against the festival, and had the good luck to bring 
home both warree and corrisos. He invited his neighbor to 
dine with us on Christmas day; we had both boiled and roast, 
on which we feasted very plentifully; and to regale after 
dinner, instead of punch or wine, we had pumpkin mishlaw, 
which is made thus: the pumpkins are cut into small pieces 
and boiled ; the inside is mashed to a pulp in the liquor it is 
boiled in, and being served out in calabashes when it is hot, 
we drank it with a good gust, and passed the day very cheer- 
fully. In two or three days after my padrone took it into his 
head to visit the white men at Plantain river, he, leaving about 
three days' provision for the family, said he would return again 
by the time it was expended, in order to provide us more. 
Having made an end of our provisions the third day, and no 
padrone appearing the next morning, I took a gun and our 
fishing tackle, and the Indian boy with me: we went up the 
river with our canoe to the plantation, designing to kill a cor- 
riso or quam, w^hich were often there devouring the fruit : 
and if that failed, we intended to fish in the river. As soon 
as I landed I heard the cherupping of a corriso, which I en- 
deavored to shoot ; but fluttering from tree to tree, I could 
not get within reach of it ; and in the pursuit lost the bird 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 261 

and my way both. When I left the chase I endeavored to 
find the canoe ; but instead of going toward it, I wandered 
farther into the woods, and found myself merooned, for so 
they call those people that have lost themselves in a wood. 1 
walked on, endeavoring to find my way, and hallooed several 
times in hopes of being answered by the Indian, Avho might 
have directed me ; but hearing no answer, I concluded I had 
got a good way into the woods ; and being entirely at a loss 
how to recover the canoe, I began in earnest to consider the 
most proper means of finding it, and determined to mount the 
first tree I could climb. Having found one fit for my purpose, 
I got up into it, and from thence saw the river ; and being 
acquainted with the manner of its course, I judged where- 
about the plantation was ; having finished my view, the sun 
keeping a certain position, I bent my course toward that part 
of the river where I judged the canoe was. And in passing 
through the woods I came to a large cotton tree, which could 
not be less than twenty-five feet in circumference ; having 
passed it going forward, I found the underwood so close that 
I could not force my way through for a long time, and was 
at last obliged to creep through the thicket, which gave me 
much trouble, beside the loss of my clothes, which was mor- 
tification enough in a country where I could get no more ; 
but my chief concern being now for my life, that did not much 
affect me. When I was through it I found the woods more open, 
and continued my course till I came to a place where the 
water had been newly dried up, and left an oozy ciay behind 
it of a hardness fit to take any impression, and saw there 
the fresh print of the footing of a large beast, which I took to 
be a tiger's. This sight startled me, and I immediately exa- 
mined my gun, to see if it was in a condition to shoot if I met 
it: and soon perceived that the priming was lost out of the 
pan, and having no more powder with me, I would have avoid- 
ed going that way, but saw the underwood so close every 
where else, that there was no getting through it ; and consid- 
ering I might as well meet the tiger in the thicket as any 
where, I kept my course. Having gone about half a mile 
further, I saw the opening of the woods ; soon after, to my 
great satisfaction, I came to the plantation and found the ca- 
noe, and resolved with myself not to run into the same dan- 
ger any more, but went to fishing, and b}^ night had caught 
nine small fishes, three of which would make a middling sized 
herring ; we returned to our habitation and had them dressed ; 
I took three of them for my own share, and left the rest for 



262 LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

the family. I am ready to think most people will believe I 
did not waDt sauce to them, having eaten nothing all the day. 
The next day we went a fishing again, having the day before 
had enough of hunting; we caught about fourteen or sixteen 
small fishes, which made a good meal for the family ; we ate 
them boiled, and the sauce to them was the water they were 
boiled in : our bread was either roasted plantains or cassave 
roots, and little enough of them. 

"Within about a mile and a half from us there lived two or 
three families of Indians : one of them coming to our habita- 
tion, inquired after my padrone, and wl>en we expected him 
to return; and withal, asked me how we did for provisions. 
I told him we fared hard enough. He said if they had known 
that we had been in want of food they v\'ould have supplied 
us, and desired me to lend him a gun, v/hich I did ; he went 
over the river, and in about an hour returned with a large fawn, 
which was soon dressed, half a side of it broiled and in our 
bellies. The Indians w^ere so kind as to bring us something 
or other to eat every day, so that we did not want for food any 
mxore. In about ten days my padrone returned from Plantain 
River, whom I was very glad to see. He excused himself for 
staying so long, telling me the people of Plantain River w^ould 
not let him come away sooner. I recounted to him my adven- 
ture in the woods, which he only laughed at. The next day 
he went a hunting, and furnished us with more provisions. 
In his leisure hours he used to entertain me with stories of 
his travels, and the hardships he had met with in being seve- 
ral times made a prisoner by the Spaniards, both in Mexico 
and Peru. He had been a prisoner a long time at St. Juan 
d'Uloa, vv^hich is a large and strong fort, vrith more than twen- 
ty pieces of brass cannon. It is built upon an island, which 
makes the fort of Levera Cruz, where there is a large fair 
town ; it is situated at the bottom of the bay of Mexico, and 
is the barricade for that kingdom. The city of Mexico is 
eighty leagues from thence, in the land ; this city, I have been 
credibly informed by a Spanish merchant who lived there, is 
one-third part as big as London, and that there are six thou- 
sand coaches in it. My padrone had also been prisoner at the 
Havana, on the island of Cuba, and has often told me how 
both that place and the Levera Cruz might be surprised by 
the English; and recounted to me how a number of bucca- 
neers surprised, took, and plundered the latter. The buccaneers 
having mustered all their strength, resolved upon sacking the 
town ; and being arrived within sixteen or eighteen miles of it, 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 263 

they anchored with their ships, and landed their men undis- 
covered ; they marched that night about ten or twelve miles, 
and in the morning retired between the high sand-hills which 
lie along that coast. The men lay hid all day, and marched 
again in the night, in order to surprise the town in the morn- 
ing, at the opening of the gates, which they effected thus : The 
bucaneers were about six hundred men; when they came near 
the town they halted, and sent a small party that could speak 
Spanish, habited like the country people, in order to seize on 
one of the gates as soon as they were opened; which was ex- 
ecuted thus: At the opening of the gates one of the party 
mounted a ladder w^hich led up to the bastion, or tower that 
commanded the gate, and under pretence to beg fire of the 
sentinel to light his pipe, with his pistol he killed him : this 
was the signal for seizing the gate. It being immediately put 
in execution, they gave notice to their main body, who instant- 
ly marched into the town, and at the same time attacked and 
took another small work, both of which they guarded, and 
then marched into the parade. IMost of the Spaniards being 
in bed, could not presently get together, but soon took the 
alarm, and formed a body of horse and foot ; they marched 
in good order through one of their broad streets to attack the 
enemy in form ; the bucaneers being dra^Am up upon the pa- 
rade, and seeing the Spaniards marching toward them, pre- 
pared to receive them, and part of them drew up at the end of 
the street in which the Spaniards were marching, and v.'hen 
they came near enough to engage, they fired upon them; the 
bucaneers having disposed themselves in such order, that as 
soon as their first rank had fired, they marched beyond the 
street, and the second took place, and so the third ; so that 
they kept a continual fire upon the Spaniards, and killed many 
of themx, and their horses not being able to stand the fire, 
they were soon put into disorder, and fled ; the bucaneers pur- 
sued them, but the Spaniards flying out of one of the gates 
into the country, they left the chace ; the castle of St. Juan 
taking the alarm, fired briskly into the town, in order to beat 
out the enemy, but they being resolved to plunder it before 
they left it, called a consultation, to consider what was proper 
to be done, and resolved to seize on the fathers which had 
most authority and respect among them; having beheaded 
some of them, they obliged others to carry them in a little 
boat to the castle, present them to the governor, and tell him, 
if he did not leave off firing immediately, they would use all 
the fathers in the town in the same manner. The governor 



2C4 LOSS QF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

being exasperated at so inhuman and barbarous an action, re- 
doubled the fire, which the bucaneers finding, they shut all th« 
gates of the town, and would not suffer any more of the in- 
habitants to leave it, but drove them all in a body to that part 
of the town which lay next to the fort, and most exposed to 
the fire from thence; so that if they Avould not forbear firing, 
they should kill their own men. When the governor saw it 
he was moved with compassion for the inhabitants, and ceased 
firing. The bucaneers plundered the town, and when they 
had so done, marched out, carrying away with them some of 
the chief inhabitants as hostages for a sum of money which 
they demanded for not burning it ; and so retired to their ships 
with very little loss. 

" The Spaniards have since that time built watch-towers, 
and keep sentinels all along that coast, in order to prevent the 
like surprise. 

" When my padrone had finished this story, he told me that 
one of his acquaintance had been taken prisoner by the Spa- 
niards, either in cutting wood, or in some expedition against 
them, which I do not remember ; but he having been kept a 
prisoner a long time, was at last put on board of one of their 
galleons to be sent to Old Spain, of which he had terrible ap- 
prehensions in being kept a close prisoner there; and as the 
ship passed by the island of Cozumel, Avhich is desert, and 
near the coast of Honduras, the ship was to the windward of 
it : and it being very fine weather, he took this opportunity, 
just at the dusk of the evening, and slipt out of one of the 
ports and swam for the shore, though they were near three 
leagues from it. Fie got safe to the island ; but when he 
found himself there, he was in a bad condition : for his fire- 
works which he had fastened with his frock to the nape of his 
neck, were either lost or rendered useless, so that he could get 
no fire. At his first landing he lived upon cockles and other 
shell-fish, till seeing great numbers of large snakes, which 
they call oulers, that are not venomous, he killed several of 
them ; and having flayed them, he split them in pieces, dipped 
them in salt water, and dried them upon the rocks in the sun, 
and found this food much more agreeable to him than his shell- 
fish ; there was no fresh water on the island but what lodged 
in the holes of the rocks Avhen it rained, though he always 
found enough to satisfy his thirst. In this manner he lived 
without fire for near six months, till a sloop happened to touch 
there to cut some fire-Avood, Avho took him on board, and he 
was found very hearty and in good plight. These and some 



L0S6 OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 265 

Other of the like stories my padrone used to entertain me with, 
and hearing him describe all the islands and coasts in the bay 
of Honduras, and those about us, where we had often traveled 
to and fro for many years, and I knowing the drafts of those 
parts where I had been to be very false, which was the cause 
of the loss of our vessel ; for though our pilot was ignorant, 
if I had had a good draft of the coast I could have preserved 
the sloop. 

" These considerations put me upon drawing a draft of those 
coasts, which will be very useful to masters of ships that may, 
by accident, be driven into those seas, or trade thither, and are 
unacquainted therewith. Having advised with my padrone 
about it, he encouraged it, and said he would give me an ex- 
act account of that part which I had not seen, and supplied 
me with paper for that purpose. In order to draw the said 
draft, I made a wooden pair of compasses and a scale, my ink 
was made with gunpowder, and my pens with the feathers of 
Avild fowl ; with these utensils I drew the draft of the bay of 
Honduras, describing all the islands therein, and the coast of 
the moschettos, which, with some alteration I have made since, 
is a pretty good one. 

" In a day or two after I had finished my draft, our neigh- 
boring Indians came to pay us a visit, and invited my padrone 
and myself to an entertainment, to be the next day at their 
habitations. 

" When we came there we found the fathers of the families 
lying on their hammocks, talking to each other : the younger 
men sitting on mats, and the women attending them; there 
being two or three families residing together, who made a 
small society, they being now altogether, made about sixteen 
or eighteen in number ; some were eating and others drink- 
ing : they welcomed us, and entertained us with broiled mul- 
let ; they generally broil their fish and boil their flesh ; some 
of their favorite wives were sitting by them, and others hand- 
ing about mishlaw, which is a drink they make with ripe 
plantains, in the following manner : They take of them a cer- 
tain number sufficient to make the quantity of liquor they de- 
sign, and squeezing them into small pieces, put them into a 
vessel with as much water as is proper for fermenting it ; and 
after it has remained in the vessel two days it is fit to drink. 
The women that are appointed to serve the liquor about, dip 
the caHbash into the vessel, and take it out almost full, and 
with their hands squeeze the plantains and water together, 
till it is come to a pulp, the liquor running between their fin- 

23 



266 LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

gers, taking out the strings and mixing it well together, 
till it is of a thinness fit to drink, and then hand it to the 
people sitting round, which the}^ all drank of, first to the fa- 
thers of the families, then to the younger men, and so to the 
favorite wives, and then to the children. They often sat at 
these drinking bouts a day and a night, if the liquor lasted so 
long, and drank it till they were intoxicated; it is unpleasant 
to the taste. They have another drink that they sometimes 
make, which they call cassave mishlaw ; they first boil the 
sweet cassave, and then cause it to be chewed by their young 
women that have the cleanest mouths ; and putting it into a 
vessel with water, they let it stand two or three days, in which 
time it ferments, and then drink it in the same m.anner as the 
plantain mishlaw. The Indians invited me to taste of their 
mishlaw ; and my padrone assuring me it was of plantains 
without any mixture of cassave, I was prevailed upon to drink 
a calabash of it, which I was the rather induced to, that the 
Indians might not be out of humor for my refusing their civi- 
lity ; though I must confess I had no great liking to it, seeing 
how the women managed it. When I had almost emptied 
my calabash, I found in it some strings of the cassave root; 
upon which I told my padrone that I believed he had deceived 
me, and that there was cassave mishlaw mixed with the plan- 
tain. He laughed, and so did the Indians; and then 1 per- 
ceived it was plantain and cassave mishlaw mixed together, 
which made me not very fond of it, and I refused to drink 
any more. My padrone drank very plentifully of it, though 
he knew their manner of making it. We staid with them 
about three hours, and then took our leave ; and in returning 
home and talking with my padrone about the manner that 
we might make it, and drink it, he said that it would not fer- 
ment except it was chewed : however, I prevailed Avith him to 
try, and having boiled some cassave roots, and bruised them 
in a mortar, I put them into a jar with a sufficient quantity of 
water, and let it stand three or four days, but it would not fer- 
■ rtcn',, which made me think that the salivial juice, which 
f'^Aed with the roots while the Indians were chewing it, was 
5'*'^ cause of the fermentation. My padrone had a great num- 
Vft» -)f pumpkins which grew about his house, and his Indian 
*.t>men used to make pumpkin mishlaw almost every day 
^^i>out four o'clock in the afternoon, which served us instead 
oTtea, and is made in the manner before described. The In- 
Hlians observe the text in Scripture, they take no care for to- 
morrow : but when their provisions are all expended, and they 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 267 

are so hungry that they can fast no longer, they concert mat- 
ters over night which way they shall hunt the next day, and 
rise about two or three o'clock in the morning, get into their 
canoes without saying a word to each other, and paddle so far 
up the river as they think proper, and are generally in the 
woods before break of day, that as soon as the daylight ap- 
pears they may have the better opportunity of securing their 
game. When they find a drove of warree or piccarie, they 
throw themselves into a circle and surround them, having dogs 
with them, and being armed wdth guns and lances, whichever 
w^ay the game turns some of the Indians meet them, and 
often kill a great part of the drove; I saw them bring home 
ten at one time, of which they gave us two. When any of 
their family are sick, they kill for them guanoes to make them 
hroth, which they reckon very wholesome, and proper for sick 
people. If they are tired with eating flesh, they go a fishing, 
and so from time to time hunt or fish, as they like best ; the 
whole society take part of what they bring home. The wo- 
men go sometimes into their plantations, and bring with them 
such fruit as it affords, or is wanted to dress their provisions ; 
they also make matts. The men are generally a tall, well- 
shaped, raw-boned, strong people, nimble and active, long 
black strait hair, are very ingenious, and friendly to the Eng- 
lish, and very dexterous at throwing the lance, fishing or har- 
poon, or any manner of dart, and shoot exceeding well with 
a bow and arrow, as Avell as with small arms, the last of 
which they buy of the English. They go ofi" to sea at a cer- 
tain time of the year with a little fleet of canoes to the miis- 
ketoe reefs, w^hich are about twelve or fifteen leagues from 
the coast, to take turtle for the sake of the shell, which they 
send to Jamaica, to sell or dispose of to the traders that come 
upon that coast, for guns, powder and shot, hatchets, axes, 
and iron pots. Some of their boys make it their business to 
catch parrots and monkeys, w4th w^hich they purchase beads, 
knives, or such other trifles. Some few of them have sepa- 
rated from the main body, as those at cape Camerone, our 
neighbors, and gave this reason for it ; they said that some 
people who ^vere not of the ancient inhabitants, but new up- 
starts, were got into the government, and behaved themselves 
Avith so much pride and insolence that they could not bear it, 
and therefore had separated from the main body. They re- 
lated the matter thus : A ship wuth negroes by accident was 
catet away on the coast, and those who escaped drowning mix- 
ed among the native mosketoe people, who intermarried with 



268 LOSS OF A JAMAICA SXOOP. 

them and begot a race of mulattoes, which AA^ere the people 
that society could not bear should have any kind of command 
amongst them. Captain Hobby, who had his cow killed by 
our peoplie, was of that race, his mother being a negro. All 
the difference I observed between them was, the native In- 
dians had long black hair, and the mulatto race had strong 
bushy curled hair, a little changed in their skin ; the copper 
and black mixing made some alteration. I could not learn 
their manner of worship, or that they had any particular days 
set apart for that purpose. When I had been at my pa- 
drone's between two and three months, and heartily tired with 
this manner of life, one morning, about two o'clock, I heard 
a sudden noise of the firing of a gun at sea ; and imagining 
it to be from our consort flooj^^, which I supposed was return- 
ing again to Jamaica, and believing the captain had heard of 
our misfortune, he had made it his business to call here : and 
as Plantain river Avas the most convenient place for anchor- 
ing, I imagined he had fired a gun to giA^e us notice of his 
passing by for that place. Upon hearing this, I immediately 
got up, telling my padrone my thoughts, and my intention to 
go to Plantain river : he endeavored to persuade me to stay 
till daylight, to see if any vessel was in sight or not ; and 
told me probably it might be some old tree that was fallen 
down, which made the noise we heard. I said that I imagined 
it to be Captain Gill, and Avas resolved to go for Plantain ri- 
ver, where I hoped to find him. Having made my best com- 
pliments to my padrone for all his favors, I took my leave 
and set out about break of day, in hopes, as it grew lighter, to 
have seen the sloop 1 expected ; but no vessel appearing in 
sight, I walked briskly along the shore till I arrived at the In- 
dian plantation, our neighbors, Avhich was directly in my Avay, 
There being beyond them a very broad river Avhich I must 
pass, I desired of the Indians to let one of their young men 
put me over; which Avas immediately granted, and one of 
their Avomen gave me a roasted plantain, Avhich Avas all the 
provision I had for my journey. Going doAA-n the branch 
which led to the main river, finding it fresh Avater, I ate my 
plantain Avhile I had drink, being apprehensive I should not 
meet with any more until my arrival at Plantain river When 
I landed on the other side I pursued my journey, and AA'as in 
hopes, as I rounded the cape, to have discovered the sloop ; 
but to my extreme mortification I saAv no A^essel. I began to 
think the noise I had heard was occasioned by the fall of an 
old tree, as my padrone had suggested j but considering Plan- 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 269 

tain river was a more likely place for vessels to come to than 
the cape, I chose to proceed, and traveled briskly on. The 
weather was extremely hot, which made me very thirsty ; but 
not being able to find any fresh Avater, I made what haste I 
could in order to reach Plantain river before night; ; and about 
four o'clock I saw the huts there. By the time I got thither 
I was very faint, and almost ready to die with thirst, being 
extremely fatigued, as any one will readily believe, having 
traveled twenty miles upon the sand in the scorching sun with- 
out a drop of water. The inhabitants gave me such refresh- 
ments as their huts aflfbrded, though not sufficient to allay my 
appetite. When I had rested, and was a little refreshed, I 
prevailed with one of the people to put me over the river, 
where most of the white people had their habitations. I told 
them my reasons for coming thither ; they said I should be 
welcome to such as they had, till I could get an opportunity 
of embarking for Jamaica. These people informed me that 
several of the white men and Indians were gone to Sandy 
Bay, which is beyond Cape Gracia de Dios, where the chiefs 
and greatest body of the Mosketoe Indians have their habi' 
tations, in order to concert measures to' enter upon an expe- 
dition against the wild Indians ; for so they call those who 
do not live under the Spanish government, but have fled from 
their cruelty and taken up their abode in some secure place 
in the woods. The manner of these expeditions is thus : 
when they have concluded what number of men is proper 
for their design, they furnish themselves with a sufficient num- 
ber of canoes, dories, and pit-pans, which last is like a wort 
cooler ; they are made long and narrow, will carry two men, 
and draw not more than four inches of water, which they 
make use of to go over the shoal places in the rivers ; and be- 
ring provided with arms, ammunition, provisions, and necessa- 
ries for such an expedition, they set forward; but first inquire 
of their sookeys, which are commonly interpreted priests, 
what success they are like to meet with, and Avill not stir un- 
till their sookeys assure them of a prosperous voyage. They 
seldom undertake an expedition of this kind without some in- 
formation from one of their Indian slaves, in whose fidelity 
they are satisfied, and know where the wild Indian settlements 
are ; he undertakes to be their guide, and conducts them to the 
place, to which they go sometimes fifty or sixty leagues by 
sea, before they arrive at the river's mouth which, leads up 
near the settlement they intend to attack. They go into the 
river with the smallest canoes, leaving the rest at the m'outh of 

23* 



270 LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

it, and oftentimes go up it forty or fifty nniles ; and when they 
draw near the Indian settlements they paddle up the river very 
softly, and hide themselves under the bushes till night, to avoid 
being discovered. When they arrive at a proper place, their 
guide conducts them to the town, which they surround, and 
seize all the inhabitants, who are all made slaves ; but it some- 
times happens that the guide misses his w^ay in the night, and 
they are descried by the inhabitants, who take the alarm. 
While some are defending themselves others make their es- 
cape into the woods, so that few are made prisoners, except 
women and children, who are generally sent to Jamaica and 
sold for slaves. I have seen many of these poor wretches 
sold there, which have had so pitiful a look it would soften the 
most obdurate heart. My padrone's wife was one of these 
people, and some other white men kept these women as their 
wives, who live tolerably well. 

"When the 'Mosketoe people are out on one of these ex- 
peditions, if they do not return by the time they are expected, 
their relations and friends grow uneasy, and often consult 
their sookeys to know where they are, what success they have 
had, and when they will return. All which questions they 
pretend to answer, upon consulting some demon or spirit 
which they are supposed to converse with ; but they return 
answers in such dubious terms, that will admit of any con- 
struction, so that they are always in the right. When their 
sookeys are applied to in a proper manner, that is, with ma- 
king them a good present, they retire to a little hut in the re- 
mote part of the woods, which is sacred, and where no one 
must presume to go but themselves : when they go upon 
these inquiries, they sometimes remain about three or four 
hours before they return, and are commonly in a violent sweat 
when they come out of those huts, and com.municate to the 
people what they think most proper to the present purpose. 
These sookeys have gained great credit among the people by 
their pretending to foretell future events ; there are numbers 
of these sort of people, as weJl among the negroes as the In- 
dians, and are more properly conjurers than priests, who have 
the advantage of living free from care, being supplied with 
necessaries by the public. We may observe nearer hand, in 
Popish countries, great numbers of men not much unlike the 
Indian sookeys, or the negro fitish men, who by their art and 
cunning have got so much the better of their fellow-creatures, 
that a good part of the world are their slaves. I was credi- 
bly informed that a white man from Jamaica, having lived 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 271 

some years amongst those people, and being a subtle cunning 
fellow, and observing the sookeys well provided for, set up 
the trade with as good success as any among them. But to 
go on: When the Indians return from an expedition, if they 
have had success, every man has such a share, according to 
what part he furnished at their setting out. If any of them 
are killed in the enterprise, he who had the chief direction of 
that affair must make satisfaction to the deceased relations, by 
making them presents, in order to pacify them for such loss, 
and become a continual rent-charge to them. I inquired into 
the nature of their government, and what number of fighting 
men they could raise ; and found, by the best information, 
that they were a kind of monarchy, having a chief whom 
they call king; though there are several other chiefs that 
have great power and authority among them ; but no man 
was compelled to go upon any service, and they are not above 
eight hundred fighting men. They are of the race of people 
which the Spaniards found when they conquered that country; 
and though they have been obliged to lea\'e the more cham- 
paign country for a lowmorassy one, they have always main- 
tained their liberty, notwithstanding the Spaniards have made 
several attempts to destroy them, but as often failed in their 
designs by the courage and bravery of those people, who 
have gallantly defended themselves, and killed great numbers 
of Spaniards, when they have invaded them, and now live in 
the greatest enmity with them, and kill them wherever they 
meet with them, which they call hiding them. I am credibly 
informed that about two years since the Musketoe people 
had notice that the Spaniards had formed a design against 
them, and were preparing to invade them; w^hich they were 
no sooner assured of, but they, like a brave and gallant peo- 
ple, sent out a fleet of canoes, armed with some hundreds of 
their best men, in order to intercept them; and proceeded 
with their fleet toward that part of the coast where the Span- 
iards were preparing for their expedition, which was near the 
river Looe ; but not meeting them as they expected, judged 
they were not ready, and therefore put into a river in order to 
intercept them as they passed by, and contrived the matter 
thus : They sent a nimble canoe out of the river as a scout, 
with orders, as soon as they should discover the enemy, to pad- 
dle off the shore, in order to draw them from thence, that 
they might have no opportunity of escaping, having other peo- 
ple on the look out ashore : and after waiting several weeks, 
they discovered the Spanish fleet of canoes, who chased their 



272 ' LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

scout; which observing the foregoing directions, paddled off 
the shore, and the enemy after her: when they saw their plot 
succeeded according to their wishes, they took their opportu- 
nity and put all out of the river, and put the Spaniards off 
from the shore as they designed, and attacked them so furi- 
ously that they were soon conquered, and killed them, every 
man, except one negro, who spoke English, that pretended he 
had been made prisoner by them, and forced on that expedition, 
to whom they gave quarter ; but soon after they went ashore 
he made his escape to the Spanish settlements, and gave them 
an account of what was become of their friends. 

" The inhabitants of Jamaica had a project of inviting the 
Musketoe people to live there, and assigning them certain 
lands as their own possessions, and they should have and en- 
joy all the liberties of Englishmen ; but whether that project 
was brought to perfection, or that the people of the Muske- 
toes did not like to quit their own country, 1 am unacquainted ; 
but certain it is they are still there. About four or five years 
since, the government of Jamaica made a law for inviting 
several hundred of them to that island, in order to take or de- 
stroy the run-away negroes who did much mischief to the 
out plantations, and accordingly sloops were sent to invite 
them ; and there went to Jamaica about two hundred, who 
were formed into companies, under officers of their own na- 
tion, and were paid forty shillings per month, and every man 
shoes. They staid at that island several months, and perform- 
ed the service they v»^ere employed in very well, and were 
sent home again well pleased. I being then at Jamaica, had 
the story from them as follows : When they were out in search 
of the run-away negroes, and having some white men for 
their guides who knew the country, one of them seeing a wild 
hog, shot it: at which the Musketoe Indians were much dis- 
pleased, telling them, that was not the way to surprise the ne- 
groes, for if there were any within hearing of that gun they 
would immediately fly, and they should not be able to take 
any of them ; and told them, if they wanted any provisioi7« 
they would kill some with their lances, or bows and arrows, 
which made no noise. They are excellent hunters and fish- 
ers, and no people so expert and dexterous at striking fish as 
they are; so that they look upon it as the greatest ill-luck, if 
they miss a fish when they have a fair stroke at it. Few of 
the Jamaica sloops go to sea without one of these Musketoe 
men, to whom they give good wages, and are treated in the 
most friendly manner by the commanders, being always their 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 273 

companions, and called brother. The governor has a particu- 
lar article in his instructions from the king- of Great Britain, 
to show kindness and afford them his protection. 

" As often as a new governor arrives at Jamaica the king, 
or some one of their chiefs, go up to compliment him on his 
accession to his government, who are kindly treated by the 
governor, and sent away with presents. The chief of their 
fruits which are the most useful, are plantains and bananas ; 
they have pine-apples in plenty, Indian corn, potatoes, yams, 
and other roots ; and have also sugar-canes, which the^?^ plant. 
All along the coast are several kinds of ravenous beasts, a^ 
tigers, leopards, tiger-cats, snakes, and baboons. The tigers 
or leopards were so bold at Plantain River, that they fre- 
quently seized the poultry among the plantations, and were 
twice among the houses whilst I was there. The baboons 
at Cape Camerone sometimes made so much noise in the 
night that we could not sleep. All the rivers swarm with 
alligators, and there are plenty of guanoes. The shape of the 
alligator is so well known that I need not describe it. A 
guanoe is something like a lizard ; I have often killed them 
five feet long, which we reckon pretty good eating, but their 
eggs exceed all others in taste, and eat like marrow. There 
is also the mountain cow, which I have heard described much 
as Captain Dampier does. I have seen a print of the feet, 
which I was told was the mountain cow's ; and once at the 
Grout, by Portobello, I ate part of one, which both looked and 
tasted like beef. Captain Dampier describes it thus: This 
beast is as big as a bullock of three years old ; it is shaped 
like a cow in the body, but her head much bigger ; her nose 
is short, and the head more compact and round ; she has no 
horns; her eyes are round, full, and of a prodigious size; she 
has great lips, but not so thick as the cow's lips. Her eyes 
are in proportion to the head, rather broader than those of the 
common cow. Her neck is thick and short; her legs also 
shorter than ordinary ; she has a pretty long tail, thin of hair, 
and no bob at the end ; she has coarse thin hair all over her 
body. Her hide is near two inches thick : her flesh is red, 
the grain of it very fine ; the fat is white, and it is sweet, 
wholesome meat. One of them will weigh five or six hun- 
dred weight. This creature is always found in the woods, 
near some large river, and feeds on a sort of long thin grass 
or moss, which grows plentifully on the banks of the rivers, 
but never feeds on savannahs or pastures of good grass, as all 
other bullocks do ; when her belly is full she lies down to 



274 LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 

sleep by the brink of the river, and at the least noise slips into 
the water, where sinking down to the bottom, though very 
deep, she walks as on dry ground. She cannot run fast, there- 
fore never rambles far from the river, for there she aivvays 
takes sanduary in case of dangers ; there is no shooting her 
but when she is asleep. Manatee and turtle are also found on 
this coast. 

" When I had been at Plantain River about ten days, we 
saw a sloop stand in for the shore, which came to an anchor 
off the river's mouth; she hoisted English colors, and sent 
her canoe for the shore, but it was overset in the breakers, 
and all the people put to swimming for their lives ; however, 
they all came well on shore. We gathered up the oars, and 
hauled up the canoe ; and I soon learned from the people that 
their sloop was laden with logwood, came from the Bay of 
Honduras, and Avas bound to Jamaica; but that they had 
been looking for that island so long till all their provisions 
were spent, and could not find it ; and in standing to the south- 
ward they saw the land, and made it to be Plantain River, 
which some of them had been at before, and were come hi- 
ther in hopes of being supplied with provisions. I was ex- 
ceeding glad to hear they were bound for Jamaica, having 
now great hopes of getting thither again; for though I fared 
tolerably Avell for provisions, I had little pleasure in my com- 
pany, Avho were a rude unpolished crew, and I w^as heartily 
tired with this Indian manner of living. A white man, that 
sometimes used to reside in this place, was part owner of the 
sloop, was then gone to Sandy Bay, in order to go on an ex- 
pedition against the wild Indians before m.entioned; and the 
person who had the care of his affairs having some provisions 
of his, concluded to put on board of the sloop a barrel of beef 
and one of flour, and send them forward for Jamaica. I was 
very willing to make use of this opportunity of a passage ; 
but considering the master of the sloop was incapable of navi- 
gating her, I consulted with the person who supplied the pro- 
visions in relation to the conducting the vessel; observing to 
him that they in the sloop had lost themselves, and by great 
accident were come thither, or must all have perished by the 
ignorance of the master; and told him, if the master of the 
sloop would leave the direction to me, I would venture to go 
in her, but if not, I had rather wait till another opportunity, 
for I was apprehensive of being put in the same condition 
they had so lately been in. He thought this a very reasonable 
request, it being for the safety of the vessel as well as myself, 



LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 275 

and thereupon sent an order to the master to leave the navi- 
gating the ship to me. 

Matters being thus concerted, the provisions, water, and 
wood were put into the canoe, and I went on board with them. 
The master made some scruples to obey the order, (so loth 
people are to part with power, though they are never so inca- 
pable of governing.) I told him he need not to be under any 
concern, for I had no intention of depriving him of his com- 
mand ; but what I did was for my own preservation as wsll 
as theirs, since by experience they had so lately been in 
such danger for vv^ant of knowledge ; at which the master 
seemed content, and I took the direction of the vessel upon 
me. We weighed anchor and set sail for Jamaica. But before 
we left Plantain river we had provided some ozenbrigs and 
a sufficient quantity of silk grass which grows in that coun- 
try, which we made twine of: and Vv^hen it proved little winds 
or calms, we lowered the sails and mended them, being old 
and torn in several places, which was our constant custom as 
often as we had opportunity, being so fortunate as to have fair 
weather. 

In about ten or twelve days we made the Grand Caymanos, 
so called from the number of crocodiles found there when 
first discovered by the Spaniards, cayman being a Spanish 
word for crocodile. When we saw the island, the master and 
a pretended pilot said it was not that island, but the South 
Keys. He said that he had lived upon the CTrand Caymanos, 
and had seen it often, and knew the make of the island very 
well : and that which we saw Avas not it but the South Keys, 
and vvould have shaped their course accordingly for Jamaica. 
I now found the precaution I had taken at my going on board 
the sloop to be of great service, finding the people so very 
ignorant, and if I had not been with them they never wouTd 
have reached Jamaica. I knew the island by my latitude and 
distance, though I had never before seen it, and shaped my 
course accordingly. The wind being then northerly, in two 
days after we saw that island, which none of the sloop's crew 
loiew, nor would any of them believe it to be Jamaica till we 
came close into the land, and then they were convinced, and 
acknowledged their ignorance. I took no more upon me as 
to the direction of the vessel, but left it to the master, and in 
three or four days more we arrived in Port Royal harbor ; and 
so ended a most troublesome, fatiguing, and painful voyage. 
On my arrival at Jamaica, my friends and acquaintance re- 
joiced to see me, having heard that I was drowned. Th« 



276 LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 

owner of the sloop at Jamaica ofTered me the command of 
her ; but I excused myself, choosing to wait for a better com- 
mand. 



LOSS OF THE RUSSIAN SHIP ST. PETER, 

On the coast of Beerings' Island, in the Sea of Kamtschatka, 
in 1741, and subsequent distresses of the Crew. 

The Russians, though of all the European nations the most 
interested in making discoveries in the north, were not, how- 
ever, roused to any undertaking of that nature till long after 
the attempts of the English to discover a north-west passage 
to China and India. The genius of Peter the Great, which 
in the course of a few years had effected such a mighty 
change in his empire, was not insensible of the advantages 
to be derived from exploring the seas eastward of his Asiatic 
dominions, the islands they contained, and the coasts by which 
they might be bounded. He accordingly projected an expe- 
dition for that purpose, and himself drew up the instructions 
for those who were to conduct it. 

The result of this enterprise was the discovery of the Ku- 
rile islands. Encouraged by this success, the same monarch 
formed the plan of a second expedition, but its execution was 
prevented by his death on the 8th of February, 1725. It was 
expected that this event would have completely frustrated tho 
design ; but Catharine, who made a point of executing all the 
projects of her illustrious consort, ordered it to be prosecuted 
the same year. 

The celebrated Beerings, a native of Denmark, but who had 
served ever since 1707 in the Russian navy, was appointed to 
conduct this expedition. Pie Avas an officer who to extensive 
knowledge united fortitude and great experience. His lieu- 
tenants were a German, named Martin Span berg, and Tschi- 
rikoff, a Russian. Beerings and his officers spent almost five 
years in making the necessary preparations and in the voyage 
itself. 

In 1727 they landed in Kamtschatka, surveyed the coast, 
and wintered in that country. The ensuing year they disco- 
vered the Island of St. Lawrence, and three smaller ones not 
far from the east coast of Asia. The approach of winter and 




THE ESSEX STRUCK BY A WHALE. 

She dashed her head against the ship's side, and so broke it in th-at 
the vessel filled rapidly." — p. 398. 




DISCOVERT OF SKELETONS. 
Iq one of the caves they found eight human skeletons, in all proba- 
\>i\iiy the renaains of some mariners." — p. 40\. 



LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 277 

the fear of being blocked up by the ice, obliged Beerings to 
think of returning; and on the 18th of September he again 
reached the river of Kamtschatka. They quitted a second 
time the inhospitable coast of that country on the 5th of June, 
1729, but the wind blew from E. N. E. with such violence 
that they could not get out farther than sixty-eight leagues 
from it. As they found no land in that space, they altered their 
course, doubled the southernmost Cape of Kamtschatka, and 
cast anchor at Ochotzk. From that place Beerings traveled 
over land to Irkutzk in Siberia, and proceeded to Petersburgh, 
where he arrived on the 1st of March, 1730. 

On his return Beerings declared that, in the course of his 
navigation, being in the latitude of between 50 and 60 degrees, 
he had observed signs which seemed to indicate that there 
was some coast or land toward the east. This declaration 
was confirmed by the testimony of his lieutenants, Spanberg 
and Tschirikoff^ and they proposed a second expedition to 
Kamtschatka, to explore the regions which separated the Asi- 
atic continent from the north of America. The Russian go- 
vernment, sensible of the importance of the project, acquiesced 
in the proposal of Beerings, who was appointed to conduct 
the new enterprise, with the rank of commodore, while his 
two lieutenants were nominated captains under him. 

The academy of sciences immediately received an order 
to prepare a detail of all that was then known concerning 
Kamtschatka, as well as the countries and seas by w^hich it is 
surrounded. The care of digesting this information was en- 
trusted, by the academy, to M. Delisle, a French astronomer, 
and brother to the celebrated geographer of that name. That 
gentleman collected all the intelligence he could procure of 
Captain Beerings, and the accounts of preceding voyagers, 
prepared a chart of the seas and coasts which it was intended 
to explore, and accompanied it with a very extensive memoir. 
These were transmitted by the academy to the supreme senate, 
which, together with the college of admiralty and the acade- 
my, took every possible measure for insuring the success of 
the enterprise. These various bodies resolved at the same 
time to profit by the opportunity to try whether the passage 
by the north, so frequently attempted by the Dutch, was prac- 
ticable through the Frozen Ocean. 

For the glory of Russia, it should not be forgotten, that 
the academy received orders, on this occasion, to nominate 
two of its members, for the purpose of determining, by astro- 
aomical observation, the true position of the countries which 

24 



278 LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 

might be discovered, and likewise to enrich natural history 
with a description of the various subjects relating to that 
science. 

On the first report of the voyage, John George Gmelin, 
and Louis Delisle de la Croyere, both professors of Peters- 
burgh, one of chemistry and natural history, and the other of 
astronomy, had offered their services, which were accepted. 
To these was added, the year following, professor Muller, for 
the purpose of writing a description of Siberia, and a narra- 
tive of the voyage. Before the preparations were completed, 
Messrs. Gmelin and Muller fell sick, and were left in Si- 
beria; but their places were supplied for the American voyage 
by professor Steller, likewise a member of the Academy of 
Sciences. 

This second expedition to Kamtschatka embraced in its 
plan two voyages, one by the east and the other by the south. 
Captain Spanberg was charged with the former, the object of 
which was Japan. Beerings reserved the other for himself 
and Captain Tschirikofi^ and their commission was to explore 
the coasts of the American continent. 

At the commencement of 1733, Beerings and Spanberg left 
Petersburg to hasten the preparations for their expedition, but 
yet these advanced very slowly. After five years, however, 
of anxious expectation, Spanberg set out on his voyage to Ja- 
pan. The equipment of his vessel had exhausted the general 
magazine at Ochotzk, and two years passed away before a 
fresh supply of stores could be procured. This interval was 
employed by Beerings in constructing vessels of a greater 
burthen and stronger than Spanberg's, that they might be 
able to resist the tempests, and even the ice of those inclement 
latitudes. One was called the St. Peter, and the other the 
St. Paul. 

The commodore having despatched the pilot Jelangin, about 
the middle of autumn, 1739, to the east coast of Kamtschat- 
ka, to visit the gulf of Awatschka, and to choose a commo- 
dious place for wintering and erecting a store-house and hur- 
bitation ; he soon returned with an account that he had found 
a bay in the river of Awatschka, very favorably situated for 
Beerings' purpose. The following spring Messrs. Delisle de 
la Croyere and Steller repaired to Ochotzk, and by midsum- 
mer, 1740, all the crews were complete. They resolved to 
take advantage of the remainder of the season to reach Kamt- 
schatka, but it was the fourth of September before they set 
sail. Commodore Beerings went on board the St. Peter, and 



LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 279 

Captain Tschirikoif took the command of the St. Paul. Two 
other vessels carried the provisions, and another had on board 
the academicians and their baggage. 

On the 27th of September, the squadron having passed the 
strait which separates the southernmost point of Kamtschatka 
from the first of the Kurile islands, and w^here the St. Peter 
was several times on the point of being lost, fortunately entered 
the port of Awatschka. Here they passed the winter, and the 
first commodore was so w^ell pleased with the advantages which 
this situation aftbrded, that he named it the harbor of St. Peter 
and St. Paul. 

A few days previous to their departure, Beerings called a 
council, in which it was resolved, first to go in quest of the 
land laid down in the chart as having been seen by John de 
Gama. It w^as likewise agreed that the two academicians 
should go on board the two principal vessels ; upon which M. 
Steller removed into the St. Peter, and M. de la Croyere in 
the St. Paul. 

On the fourth of June, 1741, the two captains set sail, steer- 
ing the direction which had been agreed upon till the twelfth 
of that month, when, being in the latitude of forty-six degrees, 
they were convinced that Gama's land did not exist, as they 
had met with none during that run. They immediately put 
the ships about, and stood to the northward, to the fifteenth de- 
gree, without making any discovery. They then agreed to 
steer eastward for the American continent, but on the twen- 
tieth the ships were separated by a violent storm, succeeded by 
a thick fog. 

This disaster was the first which the two ships had met 
with since their leaving port. The idea of being deprived, 
during the whole voyage, of the assistance they might mu- 
tually have afforded each other in an unknown sea, rendered 
this separation extremely afiiicting. It was, however, only a 
prelude to the misfortunes w^hich afterward befell them. The 
commodore neglected no means that could be employed in or- 
der to rejoin Tschirikoff: he cruised for him between the 50th 
and 51st degree, firing guns from time to time ; he even re- 
turned southward as far as the 45th degree. All his solici- 
tude was in vain, for the two captains never rejoined each 
other. 

Nothing of consequence occurred till the 18th of July, when 
Beerings, still hoping to meet with the St. Paul, and continuing 
to steer to the northward, perceived the continent of America. 
By comparing the narratives of the two commanders, it ap- 



280 LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 

pears that three days hefore, Tschirikoff had made the same 
coast only about two degrees more to the southward. Beerings, 
who was in want of water, endeavored to approach this coast, 
whose lofty snow-clad mountains presented a gloomy aspect. 
Having only light variable wind, they could not reach it till the 
20th, \vhen they came to an anchor near an island of conside- 
rable magnitude, at no great distance from a continent. A pro- 
jecting point of land was denominated Cape St. Elias, and 
another, which was afterward discovered, received the name 
of St. Hermogene. Between them was a gulf, where they 
hoped to find shelter, in case the St. Peter should be obliged 
by circumstances to seek a port. 

Having cast anchor, the commodore sent ChitrofF, the mas- 
ter, with a few armed men, to survey the gulf, while another 
shallop was despatched in quest of water. Steller went on 
board the latter, and in an island on which they landed he 
found several empty huts, whence it was conjectured that the 
natives of the continent visited it for the purpose of fishing. 
These huts were of wood, wainscotted wdth planks well join- 
ed together. They here found a box of poplar wood, a hollow 
ball of earth containing a small pebble, as if to serve for a 
child's plaything, and a whetstone, on which were visible 
the marks of copper knives that had recently been whetted 
on it. 

Steller made several observations in the huts. He found, 
among other things, a cellar containing smoked salmon and a 
sweet herb, ready dressed for eating, in the same manner as 
vegetables are prepared in Kamtschatka. There were like- 
wise cords, grindstones, and utensils of various kinds. Ha- 
ving approached a place w^here the Americans had been din- 
ing, they betook themselves to flight as soon as they perceived 
him. He there found a dart, and an instrument for producing 
fire, of the same form as those made use of in Kamtschatka. 
It consists of a board perforated in several places i the end of 
a stick being put into one of these holes, the other extremity 
is turned backward and forward between the palms of the 
hands till, with the rapidity of the motion, the board takes 
fire, on which the sparks are received upon some matter tha* 
is easily inflamed. 

At a considerable distance was seen a hill covered with 
wood, where a fire was observed, and hence it was conjec- 
tured that the savages had retired thither. To this spot Stel- 
ler did not think it prudent to venture, but contented himself 
with collecting plants in the vicinity. Of these he carried on 



LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 281 

board such a quantity, that it took him much time to describe 
them. As soon as a sufficient quantity of water was obtain- 
ed, he was obliged, though reluctantly, to return to the ship. 

The watering party related that they had passed two places 
where fires appeared to have been recently made, that they 
had observed wood which had been cut, and the track of hu- 
man feet in the grass. They had likewise seen five red foxes, 
which showed no shyness or timidity on meeting them. They 
carried nothing with them from the huts but a few smoked 
fish resembling carp, and which proved very good eating. 

To convince the natives that they had nothing to fearfrona 
the strangers who had landed on their coast, the commodore 
sent on shore a few presents for them, consisting of a piece 
of green cloth, two iron pots, two knives, twenty gross of 
glass beads, and a pound of tobacco, which he presumed 
would prove extremely acceptable to the savages. 

On the 21st of Jul}^ Beerings resolved to set sail, and as 
had been agreed upon at Awatschka, to run northward along 
the coast as high as sixty degrees, if possible. This design he 
was how^ever prevented from accomplishing, for the land was 
found to trend away to the south-west, and their course was 
continually impeded by the islands with which the shores of 
the continent were lined almost without interruption. The 
Russians now stood out to sea, and having been several days 
without seeing land, they, on the 30th of July discovered an 
island, to which, from the thickness of the weather, they gave 
the name of Foggy Island. The whole month of August was 
spent in standing off and on; in the mean time the crew be- 
gan to be attacked with scurvy, and the commodore himself 
was in a worse situation than any other. 

Fresh water beginning to run short, the Russians, on the 
29th of August, stood to the north, and soon discovered the 
continent. The coast in this part is extremely steep, and 
lined with a multitude of islands, among which the St. Peter 
came to an anchor. On the 30th the pilot, Andrew Hassel- 
berg, w^as sent to one of the largest of these islands in quest 
of fresh water. He soon returned with two specimens taken 
out of different lakes, which Vv^ere more or less salt. But, as 
there was no time to be lost, it was judged prudent to take in 
a quantity of this water rather than to be left completely with- 
out, as it would serve for cooking, and thus the remaining fresh 
water might be made to last till they could procure a supply. 
All the empty casks were accordingly filled with it. To the 
use of this water Steller attributed the redoubled attacks of 

24* 



282 LOSS OF THE ST. PETER, 

the scurvy, which at length proved fatal to a great part of 
the crew. 

The vessel did not appear perfectly safe in this situation. 
She was exposed to all the impetuosity of the south winds, 
and to the north there was nothing but rocks and breakers. 
The commodore therefore resolved not to remain long in this 
station; but an unexpected circumstance detained them lon- 
ger than they had intended. A fire having one night been 
perceived in a small island to the N, N. E. Chiimfi] who was 
the officer on duty, represented the following da)^ that while 
the larger boat was employed in watering, the other might be 
sent to discover by whom the fire had been made. The com- 
modore was then confined to his cabin, and the command of 
the ship had devolved on Lieutenant Waxel. That officer, in 
the circumstances under which the Russians then were, would 
not permit the boat to leave the vessel. He conceived that if 
the wind should increase, the ship would be obliged to stand 
out to sea, and in this case it was doubtful whether she would 
be able to return and take on board the crew of the boat, who, 
by one or two violent contrary winds, might be prevented 
from regaining the ship. Chitroff, however, insisting, Waxel 
referred his proposal to Beerings, who decided that the former 
should be at liberty to go if he chose, and might likewise se- 
lect any of the crew to accompany him. 

ChitrofF, who was a courageous man, was flattered with the 
permission granted him. He took with him five men well 
armed and provided with various trifling articles to distribute 
among the natives whom he might meet with. About noon, 
on the 30th of August, they landed* on the island, distant, by 
their calculation, about fourteen miles from the ship. They 
there found the yet unextinguished embers of the fire which 
had been made, but not a single human creature. In the af- 
ternoon Chitrofl' attempted to return to the vessel, but a con- 
trary wind blowing with great violence, obliged him to seek 
shelter in another island by the side of the former. The 
waves threatened every moment to swallow up the boat, or to 
wash away the men who were on board of her. This must 
have been their fate, had it not been for a sail which ChitrofF 
hoisted in the midst of the danger, and with which he ran 
into the breakers. A tremendous sea had filled the boat, 
when fortunately another wave came and carried her on shore 
with all those who were in her. 

ChitrofF had no sooner gained the shore than he made a 
great fire, not only to warm himself and his companions, but 



LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 283 

likewise as a signal to the ship to come to his relief But the 
wind in the meantime became so violent that the crew were 
obliged to think only of preserving the vessel. They there- 
fore weighed anchor, and sought shelter behind another island. 
Night arrived, and Chitrof!J with his companions, who had 
seen the ship set sail, without knowing the intention of those 
on board, was thrown into the utmost perplexity. 

The storm continued till the 2d of September, when it at 
length abated. As ChitrofF did not return, Waxel the next 
day sent the shallop on shore, with orders, if the boat was da- 
maged, to leave her behind, and return on board with the men. 
She had been too much injured, when cast on shore by the 
waves, to keep the sea; she was therefore left in the island, 
and Chitroff returned in the shallop. 

The Russians instantly weighed anchor, but the wind being 
contrary, they could not proceed very fast, and toward night 
were again obliged to return to the islands. They had the 
same unfavorable weather on the 4th of September, and were 
compelled to return to the spot where they had anchored the 
preceding day. It blew a violent storm during the whole night. 

In the morning the Russians heard the cries of men on one 
of the islands, and likewise saw a fire there. Soon after- 
ward, two Americans, each in a canoe resembling those of the 
Greenlanders, approached the ship within a certain distance. 
By their words and gestures these savages invited the Rus- 
sians to land, and the latter, by signs and presents which they 
threw toward them, endeavored, but without success, to entice 
them into the ship. After looking some time at the Russians, 
they returned to the island. 

Beerings and his officers resolved to venture to land, and 
for this purpose the great shallop was hoisted overboard. 
Lieutenant Waxel, accompanied by Steller and nine men well 
armed, went into the boat, and proceeded toward the island. 
They found the shore lined with a range of sharp rocks, and 
the fear of being dashed against them by the impetuosity of 
the wind, prevented the Russians from approaching nearer 
than within three fathoms of the land. The Americans, to 
the number of nine, appeared on the shore, and were invited 
by signs to come to the shallop. But, as they could neither 
be tempted by the signs that were made, nor the presents 
which were offered them, and still continued to invite the Rus- 
sians to land, Waxel put on shore three men, among whom 
was a Tschutski or Koriak interpreter. They moored th^ 
shallop to one of the rocks, as they had been ordered. 



284 LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 

These men were kindly received by the savag-es, but being 
unable to understand each other, they were obliged to con- 
verse by signs. The Americans, with a view to regale the 
Russians, presented them with whale's flesh, which was the 
only provision they had with them. It appeared that their 
residence here was only for the purpose of catching whales, 
for on the shore was observed as many boats as men, but no 
hut, and not a woman among them ; so that, probably they 
had no permanent habitation but on the continent. They had 
neither arrows nor any other arms that could give umbrage 
to the Russians, and at length one of them had the courage 
to go into the boat to Waxel. He appeared to be the oldest 
person, and the chief of the party. Waxel presented him 
with a glass of brandy, but that liquor appeared equally disa- 
greeable and strange to him. After spitting it out of his 
mouth, he began to cry out, as if complaining to his country- 
men that the Russians were using him ill. It was found im- 
possible to appease him ; needles, glass beads, an iron pot, 
pipes, were offered him, but he refused them all. He imme- 
diately returned to the island, and Waxel did not judge it pru- 
dent to detain him any longer. At the same time he called 
off the three men who had been put on shore. 

The Americans at first showed a disposition to detain them 
all. At length they suffered two of the Russians to return, 
but kept the interpreter. Some of them even seized the cable 
by which the shallop was moored, thinking no doubt she was 
as easily managed as one of their canoes, or hoping to dash 
her to pieces against the rocks. To prevent their design, 
Waxel cut the cable. The interpreter meanwhile entreated 
not to be left behind. The Americans disregarding all the 
signs that were made them to let him go, Waxel ordered two 
muskets to be fired, with a view to frighten them only. The 
success answered his expectation ; the report, re-echoed by a 
neighboring mountain, terrified the Americans to such a de- 
gree that they fell do^vn on the ground, and the interpreter imme- 
diately made his escape. The savages soon recovered from 
■ their panic, and, by their cries and gestures, appeared highly 
irritated. Waxel did not think proper to remain there any 
longer, as the night was coming on, the sea grew very rough, 
and the vessel was at the distance of a mile and a half. 

Leaving the island, the Russians steered to the south, in 
order to get off the coast. From this time till far in the au- 
tumn, the wind scarcely varied, excepting between W. S. W 
and W. N. W. This was a great obstacle to the speedy return 



LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 285 

of the ship. Beside this, the weather was almost always foggy, " 
so that they were sometimes two or three weeks without see- 
ing- either sun or stars, and consequently without being- able 
to take the altitude or correct their reckoning. It is easy to 
conceive the inquietude which they must have experienced, 
wandering in such uncertainty in an unknown sea. " I know 
not (says one of the officers) if there be a situation in the 
world more disagreeable than that of navigating an unknown 
sea. I speak from experience, and I can say with truth, that 
during the five months of our -voyage I had very few hours of 
tranquil sleep, being incessantly involved in danger and anx- 
iety in regions heretofore unknown." 

The crew struggled with contrary winds and tempests till 
the 24th of September, when they again came in sight of the 
land. To one of the lofty mountains which were discovered 
upon it, they gave the name of St. John the Baptist. A brisk 
gale from the south rendering it dangerous for them to remain 
near the coast, they resolved to keep the ship to the wind, 
which soon turned to the west, increased to a violent storm, 
and drove the vessel very far to the S. W. This tempest con- 
tinued seventeen days without intermission, and was so furi- 
ous, that Andrew Hesselberg, the pilot, acknowledged that, 
during the forty years in which he had served at sea, in va- 
rious parts of the world, he had never seen any thing equal 
to it. They shortened sail as much as possible, that they might 
not be carried too far ; but, notwithstanding this precaution, 
they lost much way till the 12th of October, when the tem- 
pest abated. 

The disease which already prevailed among the crew be- 
came worse, and the scurvy extended its ravages more and 
more. A day seldom passed without a death, and scarcely 
men enough were left in health to navigate the vessel. In 
this melancholy situation they were undecided whether to re- 
turn to Kamtschatka, or to seek some port in which they 
might winter on the American coast. The lateness of the sea- 
son, the want of fresh water, and the great distance from Pe- 
tropawlowska, appeared to render the latter measure indis- 
pensable. In a council held on board, it was, however, re- 
solved to attempt the former. A favorable wind springing up, 
they set sail, steering to the north at first, and after the 15th 
of October to the west. They passed an island to which 
they gave the name of St. Macarius, and on the 29th and 
30th of October they came in sight of two others, which by 
their situation, size, and figure, they took to be the two first 



286 LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 

of the Kurile islands. This opinion caused them to steer to 
the north, instead of which, if they had continued to run iX) 
the west two days longer, they would have arrived at the port 
of Awatschka. 

This step was attended with the most fatal consequences. 
In vain they resumed their course to the west ; they were 
unable to discover the coast of Kamtschatka, and they had 
no hope of reaching- any port in such an advanced season. 
The crew, exposed to the most intense, cold and incessant 
rain, continued to labor without intermission. The scurvy 
had made such ravages that the man who guided the helm 
was obliged to be supported in his station by two of his com- 
rades, who still possessed sufficient strength to keep their 
legs. When he became unable either to sit up or to steer, 
another, who was in a situation very little better, took his 
place. They durst not carry a press of sail, because in case 
of necessity there was no person to lower those which might 
be too much. The sails themselves were so worn out that 
the first gale would have torn them to pieces, and there w^ere 
not hands sufficient to hoist the spare sails which they had 
taken out Avith them. 

The incessant rain, which had fallen till now, was succeeded 
by hail and snow. The nights grew longer and darker, and 
their dangers were consequently increased, because they every 
moment had reason to apprehend that the ship would strike. 
At the same time their fresh w^ater Avas entirely consumed- 
The excessive labor became unsupportable to the i'ew hands 
who still remained in health, and when summoned to their 
duty, they declared themselves incapable of any farther ex- 
ertions. They impatiently expected death, which appeared 
inevitable, to deliver them from their misery. 

During several days the vessel remained without a steers- 
man, and as if motionless on the water ; or if she had any 
movement she received it only from the impulse of the Avinds 
and Av^aves, to Avhich she Avas consigned. It Avould have been 
in vain to resort to vigorous measures Avith a creAv driven to 
despair. In this extremity Waxel adopted a more prudent 
method, spoke AA^ith kindness to the seamen, exhorting them 
not to despair entirely of the assistance of the Almighty, and 
rather to make a last effort for their common deliverance, 
Avhich Avas perhaps much nearer than they expected. With 
this kind of language he persuaded them to keep on deck 
and Avork the ship as long as they AA-ere able. 

Such Avas the dismal situation of the creAv, AA^hen, on the 



LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 287 

4th of November, they again began to sail westward, without 
knowing- either in what latitude they were, or at what distance 
from Kamtschatka. They knew, however, that it was only by 
steering west they could hope to reach that country. What 
was the joy of the Russians, when, about eight in the morning, 
they discovered land ! 

At this so-much-wished-for sight the seamen mustered up 
the little strength they had left. They endeavored to approach 
it, but it was still at a great distance, for they could only per- 
ceive the snow-covered summits of the mountains ; and when 
they had come pretty near it, night arrived. The officers 
judged it prudent to stand off, in order not to risk the loss of 
the ship. The next morning the greatest part of the rigging 
on the starboard side of the vessel w^as found broken to pieces. 
Nothing more was necessary to render their misfortunes com- 
plete. 

Waxel having made his report of this new disaster to the 
commodore, received orders to assemble all the officers and 
to consult with them what was best to be done. A council 
was accordingly held. They considered the danger to which 
they were all exposed in a crazy ship which it was no longer 
possible to navigate. They knew that the cordage which re- 
mained whole w^as as much worn as that which had broken, 
as the rigging was heard snapping every moment, and even 
during the time of their deliberation. The water diminished 
every day, and the sickness grew worse ; they had before suf- 
fered from the rain, bat they now felt much greater inconve- 
nience from the cold, which, instead of becoming more mode- 
rate, grew every day more intense. They determined in con- 
sequence of all these considerations to disembark on the land 
which they had discovered, as their lives would at least be safer 
there, and probably they might find some method of getting the 
ship into a place of safety. 

The Russians, conformably to the decision of the council, 
steered for the land, but only under the small sails, on account 
of the weak condition of their masts. At five at night they 
came into twelve fathom of water, where they cast anchor, 
and veered away three-fourths of the cable. At six the cable 
gave way, and the waves, which were of prodigious size, drove 
the ship against' a rock, on which she twice struck, and yet the 
lead indicated five fathoms of water. At the same time the sea 
broke with such fury against the sides of the vessel that sh« 
shook to her very keel. A second anchor was thrown out, but 
the cable broke even before the anchor appeared to have taken 



288 LOSS or the st. peter. 

hold. Fortunately the remaining one was not in readiness, 
otherwise in this extremity that also would have been thrown 
overboard, and thus they would have lost all their anchors. 
At the moment when they were busily employed in getting 
ready the third anchor, a prodigious sea took the ship and drove 
her clear off the rock. 

The Russians suddenly found themselves in calm water, 
and anchored in four fathoms and a half, and about three hun- 
dred fathoms from the shore. The following day they went 
to reconnoitre the coast. Providence had conducted them al- 
most miraculousl)^ to a place which, notwithstanding the dan- 
gers with which it was surrounded, was the only one where 
they could have saved themselves. The shore every where 
else was rendered inaccessible by rocks, which projected to a 
great distance into the sea. Twenty fathoms more to the north- 
ward or southward, the vessel would have been dashed to pie- 
ces, and all the crew must have perished. 

The winter was now rapidly advancing. The first care of 
the crew was to survey the country round the spot where they 
had landed, and to choose the most commodious place for fix- 
ing their quarters. Exhausted with disease and fatigue, they 
rested till noon, and then hoisted out the boat, but not without 
great difficulty. 

On the 6th of November, at one o'clock. Lieutenants Waxel 
and Steller went on shore, and found the land sterile, and co 
vered with snow. A stream which issued from the mountains 
and fell into the sea not far from the spot, was not yet frozen ; 
its water was limpid and very good. No trees were to be seen, 
nor even any brush-wood for fuel ; the sea had, however, 
thrown some upon the beach, but being concealed beneath the 
snow, it could not easily be found. This account was not cal- 
«ulated to produce the most favorable impressions. Where 
were they to procure the materials necessary for constructing 
habitations ? where could the sick be placed in comfort ? and 
how could they be preserved from the cold 1 Man, however, 
should never abandon himself to despair ; for the more forlorn 
his situation, the more ingenious is he rendered by necessity. 
Between the sand-hills, bordering the stream above mention* 
ed, were holes of considerable depth ; these it was propos«d 
to clean out at the bottom, to cover them with sails, and thus 
take shelter in them till they could collect a sufficient quan- 
tity of drift-wood to erect huts. In the evening Waxel and 
Steller returned to the ship to make their report to the com- 
modore. 




GREENLAND AVHALE FISHERY. 



p. 412. 




THE UNFORTUNATE PHILANTHROPIST. 

Woltemad, a Dutchman at the Cape of Good Hope, having saved 14 
persons froni the wreck of the Jon^e Thomas^ was dro"\s;ued. ina, \he 
attempt to rescue more.— p. 433.. 



LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 289 

Immediately upon their return a council was called, and it 
was resolved to send on shore, the next day, all those of the 
crew who were still in health, to prepare some of the holes 
for the reception of the sick, This being done? on the 8th of 
November the weakest were carried on shore. Som^ expired 
as soon as they were exposed to the air, even before they reach- 
ed the deck, others upon deck, or in the boat, and several after 
they had reached the land. The country swarmed with*a spe- 
cies of foxes, called in the Russian language Pestzi. Steller 
has given a very interesting account of these animals, which 
the reader will find introduced at the conclusion of this article, 
in order to prevent the interruption of the narrative. 

On the 9th of November the commodore, well covered 
against the external air, was carried on shore by four men, on 
a kind of litter formed of two poles crossed with cords. A 
separate hole had been prepared for his reception. The busi- 
ness of removing the sick continued every day, and not a day- 
passed without several of them dying. None of those who had 
kept their beds on board the ship recovered ; they were princi- 
pallj^ those who, out of indifference to life, or rather pusillani- 
mity, had suffered the disease to get the upper hand. 

The sea-scurvy begins with extreme lassitude, which seizes 
the whole body, renders the man indolent, disgusts him with 
every thing, entirely dejects his spirits, and gradually forms a 
kind of asthma, which manifests itself on the slightest move- 
ment. It usually happens that the patient prefers lying down 
to walking, and in this case he is inevitably lost. All the mem- 
bers are soon afflicted with acute pains, the legs swell, the com- 
plexion becomes yellow, the body is covered with livid spots, 
the mouth and gums bleed, and the teeth grow loose. The pa- 
tient then feels no inclination to stir, and it is indifferent to him 
whether he lives or dies. These different stages of the disease 
and their effects Avere observed on board. It was likewise re- 
marked that some of the sick were seized with a panic, and 
were startled at the least noise, and at every call that was 
given in the ship. Others ate with a very hearty appetite, and 
did not imagine themselves in danger. The latter no sooner 
heard the order given for the removal of the sick, tha-n they 
quitted their hammocks and dressed themselves, not doubting 
but that they should speedily, recover. But coming up from 
below, saturated with humidity, and out of -a corrupted atmos- 
phere, the fresh air which they inhaled on deck soon put a 
period to their lives. 

Those only recovered who were not so far overcome by the 
25 



290 LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 

disease as to be obliged continually to keep their beds, who 
remained as long as possible on their legs, and in motibn. It 
was owing to their vivacity and their natural gayety that they 
were not dejected like the others. A man of this disposition 
served at the same time for an example, and encouraged by 
his conversation those who were in the same condition. The 
good effects of exercise were particularly apparent in the offi- 
cers, who were constantly employed in giving orders, and 
obliged to be on deck the greatest part of the time, to keep an 
eye on what passed. They were always in action, and could 
not lose their spirits, for they had Steller with them. Steller 
was a physician of the soul as well as of the body ; cheerful- 
ness was his constant companion, and he communicated it to 
all around him. Among the officers the commodore was the 
only person who sunk beneath the disease ; his age and his 
constitution rendered him more disposed to rest than to activity. 
He at length became so suspicious, and was so impressed with 
the idea that every one was his enemy, that at last even Steller, 
whom he had before regarded as his best friend, durst not ap- 
pear in his presence. 

Waxel and Chitroff remained in tolerable health as long as 
they were at sea. They remained in the ship till the last, re- 
solving that all the crew should be put on shore before they re- 
paired thither themselves. They likewise had better accommo- 
dations on board. This situation, however, had nearly proved 
fatal to them, either because they no longer had so much ex- 
ercise, or were exposed to the noxious vapors which ascended 
from the hold. In a few days they were taken so ill that they 
were obliged to be carried from tli»e ship to the shore, and with 
proper precautions on their removal into the air, they both 
recovered. 

Beerings died the 8th of December, 1741, and the island 
was called after his name. This officer was by birth a Dane. 
From his early youth he had shown a passionate inclination 
for long vo^rages. He had just returned from the East and 
West Indies, when he presented himself to the Czar Peter, 
who was then employed in creating a naiy. In 1707 he 
was appointed lieutenant, and in 1710 captain-lieutenant in 
the fleet of that monarch. Having been from his cradle in 
the sea service, and in all the maritime expeditions during the 
war with Sweden, he had acquired great experience beside 
the skill necessary for a naval officer. He therefore appeared 
worthy of being selected to command the two expeditionjs 
to Kamtschatka. But what a wretched end for such a cele- 



LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 291 

brated man ! It may almost be said that he was buried alive. 
Having been carried on shore with the greatest precaution, 
he was placed in the largest and least incommodious hole, 
and a covering was carefully erected over him in the form of 
a tent. The sand soon began to fall down from the sides of 
the hole in which he lay, and every moment covered his feet. 
It was immediately removed by those who attended him ; but, 
at last, he would not suffer it to be taken away, thinking he 
felt some warmth from it, the vital heat having already for- 
saken the other parts of his body. The sand gradually ac- 
cumulated, till it covered him up to the belly ; and when he 
had expired, his people were obliged to dig him out, in order 
to give him a decent interment. 

A few days before the death of the commodore, the Rus- 
sians had the misfortune to lose their vessel, the only resource 
capable of extricating them from their forlorn situation. She 
was at anchor, as we have seen above, and exposed to the vio- 
lence of a tempestuous sea, when, in the night between the 
28th and 29th, a furious storm arose, the cable parted, and 
the vessel was driven ashore, very near the dens of the Rus- 
sians. She was found in the morning buried in the sand to 
the depth of eight or ten feet. Upon inspection, the keel and 
sides were found to be broken to pieces. The water, which 
entered the ship and ran off below, had washed away or 
spoiled the greatest part of the remaining provisions, consist- 
ing of flour, oatmeal, and salt. 

Situated as the unfortunate mariners were, this loss was 
extremely afflicting ; but appeared much less when they re- 
flected that the vessel, though much damaged, had been 
thrown upon the sand at their feet, and not carried out to sea; 
they still entertained hopes that even, if she could not be got 
afloat again, they might with the materials build a bark ca- 
pable of carrying them to Kamtschatka. 

The events which had occurred since their shipwreck had 
diverted the attention of the Russians from two important ob- 
jects in their situation ; in the first place, to take a survey of 
the country in which they had landed, and, in the second, to 
provide for their subsistence. As the latter was the more 
pressing of the two, they immediately took it into serious con- 
sideration after the loss of the ship. They were still igno- 
rant whether they had landed on an island or a continent, 
whether the country was inhabited, and were unacquainted 
with its animal and vegetable productions. Having deliberat- 
ed on these subjects, they resolved to begin with reconnoiter- 



292 LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 

ing the country, and to send from the east coast on which 
they had disembarked and settled, a certain number, selected 
from the most vigorous of the crew, toward the north and 
south. Having proceeded as far as the rocks which project- 
ed into the sea would permit them, these men returned, some 
on the third, and the others on the fourth day after their de- 
parture. 

They agreed in their reports, that the}^ had not found the 
least trace of inhabitants, but had seen on the coast a great 
number of otters. They had likewise ofeerved, in the interior 
of the country, a great quantity of blue and black foxes, which 
did not run away on their approach. From these accounts it 
was justly concluded that the country was neither frequented 
nor inhabited by men. However, as the interior had not been 
sufficiently examined, and they had not yet penetrated to the 
coast opposite to that on which they had landed, they again 
sent out some of their number to accomplish those purposes. 
These men ascended a very lofty mountain, three or four 
leagues from the shore ; from its summit they discovered the 
sea to the east and west, which left no doubt but that it was 
an island on which they had landed. They found no wood, 
but only a few willow shrubs on the banks of the rivulets. 

After reconnoitering the island, they proceeded to examine 
the provision which had been saved from the ship. Having 
first deducted and stowed away eighteen hundred pounds of 
flour to serve them on their passage from the island to Kamt- 
sehatka, the remainder was divided into equal portions. 
Though these were very scanty, and thirty of their number 
died during their stay on the island, yet they would not have 
been sufficient, but for the seasonable supply which the ma- 
rine animals afforded. 

The first which served them for food were the otters. Their 
flesh was hard, but they were obliged to put up with it till they 
could procure some less disagreeable in its stead. After they 
had ceased to use them for food, the Russians killed a great 
number of these animals for the sake of their beautiful skins, 
nine hundred of which they collected during their residence 
on the island. In the month of March the otters disappear- 
ed, and were succeeded by another animal, called the sea-cat, 
and afterward by seals. Their flesh was exceedingly dis- 
gusting to the Russians, who fortunately, now and then, sur- 
prised a young sea-lion. The latter are excellent eating; 
but they never durst venture to attack them excepting wheia 
asleep. 



LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 293 

The sea-cow likewise proved of great utility to the Rus- 
sians. One of these animals which they took weighed eight 
thousand pounds, and furnished them with food for a fortnight. 
Their flesh may be compared to beef, and the fat, with which 
it is covered to the depth of three or four inches, resembles 
that of pork. This they melted down and used instead of 
butter. They likewise salted a considerable quantity of the 
flesh and filled several casks, which they added to the provi- 
sion already destined for their voyage to Kamtschatka, Dur- 
ing their residence on the island two whales were likewise 
cast on shore, and these furnished them with an abundant 
supply when other marine animals failed. 

On the melting of the snow, about the end of March, 1742, 
the Russians began to think seriously of their return. Being 
all assembled, to the number of forty-five, they took into con- 
sideration the means of returning to Kamtschatka. The state 
of perfect equality in which they had lived since their landing 
on the island produced a variety of opinions, which were 
warmly supported by those with whom they originated. Wax- 
el, to whom the command by right devolved, conducted him- 
self under these circumstances with great art and prudence. 
Without giving ofl^ence to the authors of the diflferent plans, 
he opposed them to each other, and destroyed them by means 
of a third, w^hich he again overthrew by objections which ap- 
peared unanswerable. At length he and Chitrofl*, who acted 
in concert, proposed their opinion, which was to take the ves- 
sel to pieces, and to construct another of a smaller size, but 
sufficiently spacious to hold all the crew and the provisions. 
In discussing the business, they laid great stress on the con- 
sideration that all those who had sufl^ered together would not 
be separated ; that none would be left behind ; that if a new 
misfortune occurred, they would be together, and that none of 
them would be exempted from it. This opinion being una- 
nimously approved of, a paper was drawn up to the effect, and 
signed by all the crew. The favorable weather at the begin- 
ning of April permitted them to put it in execution. The 
whole month was employed in breaking up the ship, and the 
officers, by their diligence, set a laudable example to the rest. 

On the 6th of May they began to work upon their new 
vessel, which was forty feet in length and thirteen wide. She 
had but one mast and one deck, with a cabin at the stern and 
a kitchen at the head. At the same time they likewise built 
a boat capable of holding nine or ten persons. 

The vessel being completed, was launched on the 10th of 
25* 



294 LOSS OF THE ST. FETERr 

An gust, and named the St. Peter, after the ship from the re- 
mains of which she had been constructed. The balls and su- 
perfluous iron work served for ballast. A calm, w^hich con- 
tinued six days, enabled them to fix the mast, rudder and sails, 
and to take on board the provisions. 

On the 16th they put to sea; and, with the help of oars, 
got clear of the rocks and shallows near the island. They 
then set their sails to take advantage of a breeze which sprung 
up. They had the satisfaction to find that their vessel was an 
excellent sailer, and might be managed wdth the greatest fa- 
cility. On the 18th they were overtaken by a contrary wind, 
which blew with great violence at S. W. Being apprehen- 
sive of a tempest, they resolved to lighten the vessel, by throw- 
ing overboard part of their ballast. On the 25th they came 
in sight of Kamtschatka, and, on the 27th, came to an anchor 
in the harbor of Petropawlowska. 

It is scarcely possible to express the transports of the Rus- 
sians when they again found themselves in the midst of com- 
fort and abundance. After passing the winter at Petropaw- 
lowska, they again embarked in the month of May, and arriv- 
ed at Ochotzk. Waxel repaired to Jakutsk, where he resided 
during the w^inter. In October, 1744, he arrived at Jeniseisk, 
at which place he found Captain TschirikofF, who soon after- 
w^ard received an order from the senate to repair to Peters- 
burg ; on which Waxel succeeded him in the command of the 
crews of both vessels. With these he proceeded to the same 
city, where he arrived in the month of January, 1749, which 
may be considered as the conclusion of the second expedition 
to Kamtschatka, after a period of sixteen years from iis com- 
mencement. 

The Arctic fox, of which the Russians found such numbers 
in Beerings' Island, is of a bluish grey color. The hair is 
very thick, long, and soft, the nose sharp, and the ears short, 
and almost hid in the fur. The tail is shorter, but more bushy 
than that of the common fox. The following is the account 
given by Steller of the habits and manners of this extraor- 
dinary animal. 

" During my unfortunate abode on Beerings' Island 1 had 
opportunities more than enough of studying the nature of 
this animal, which far exceeds the common fox in impudence, 
cunning, and, roguery. 

" They forced themselves into our habitations by night as 
well as by day, stealing all that they could carry off; even 
things that were of no use to them, such as knives, sticks, and 



LOSS OF THE ST. PETER, - 295 

clothes. They were so inconceivably ingenious as to roll down 
our casks of provisions, several poods* in weight, and then 
steal the meat out of them so ably, that at first we could not 
bring ourselves to ascribe the theft to them. As Ave have strip- 
ped an animal of its skin, it has often happened that we could 
not avoid stabbing two or three foxes, from their rapacity in 
taking the flesh out of our hands. 

" If we buried it ever so carefully, and even added stones to 
the weight of earth that was upon it, they not only found it out, 
but with their shoulders shoved away the stones, lying under 
them and helping one another with all their might. If, in or- 
der to secure it, we put an animal on the top of a high post in 
the air, they either dug up the earth at the bottom, and thus 
tumbled the whole down, or one of them clambered up, and 
with incredible artifice and dexterity threw down what was 
upon it. 

" They watched all our motions, and accompanied us in what- 
ever we were about to do. If the sea threw up an animal of 
any kind, they devoured it before we could get up to rescue it 
from them ; if they could not consume the whole of it at once, 
they dragged it in portions to the mountains, where they buried 
it under stones before our eyes, running to and fro as long as 
any thing remained to be conveyed away. While this was 
doing others stood on guard and watched us. If they saw 
any thing coming at a distance, the vrhole troop would com- 
bine at once and begin digging all together in the sand, till a 
beaver or sea-bear would be so completely buried under the 
surface that not a trace of it could be seen. In the night, when 
we were asleep, they came and pulled off our nightcaps, and 
stole our clothes from under our heads, with the beaver cover- 
ings and the skins we lay upon. In consequence of this we 
ahvays slept with our clubs in our hands, so that if they awoke 
us we might drive them away or knock them down. 

"When we made a halt to rest by the way, they gathered 
around us and played a thousand tricks in our view, and when 
we sat still they approached so near that they gnawed the thongs 
of our shoes. If we lay down as intending to sleep, they came 
and smelt at our noses, to try whether Ave AA'ere dead or aliA^e ; 
if Ave held our breath they gaA'e us such a tug by the nose 
as if they Avould bite it off. On our first arriA^al they bit off 
the toes, fingers, and noses of the dead Avhile we Avere pre- 
paring the grave, and thronged in such a manner about the 

* The pood is equal to forty Russian pounds, each of which is some- 
what less than an English pound. 



296 SHIPWRECK OF TH£ MEDUSA. 

infirm and sick, that it was with difficulty we could keep them 
off 

"Every morning we saw these audacious animals patrolling 
ahout among the sea-lions and sea-bears lying on the strand, 
smelling at such as were asleep, to discover whether some one 
of them might not be dead ; if that happened to be the case, 
they proceeded to dissect him immediately, and soon afterward 
all were at work in dragging the parts away : because the sea- 
lions in their sleep overlay their young, they every morning 
examined, as if conscious of this circumstance, the whole herd 
of them one by one, and immediately dragged away the dead 
cubs from their dams, 

"As they would not suffer us to be at rest either by night or 
day, we became so exasperated at them that we killed young 
and old, and plagued them in every way we could devise. 
When we awoke in the morning there always lay two or three 
that had been knocked on the head in the night ; and I can 
safely affirm that during my stay in the island I killed above 
two hundred of these animals with my own hands. On the 
third day after my arrival I knocked down upward of seven- 
ty of them with a club, within the space of three hours, and 
made a covering to my hut of their skins. They were so ra- 
venous, that with one hand we could hold to them a piece of 
flesh, and with a stick or ax in the other could knock them 
on the head. 

" From all the circum^stances that occurred during our stay, 
it was evident that these animals could never before have been 
acquainted with mankind, and that the dread of man is not 
innate in brutes, but must be grounded on long experience." 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA, 

On her voyage to Senegal. By Madame Dard, 

Early on the morning of the 22d of June, 1816, we were 
on our way to the boats that were to convey us on board the 
Medusa, which was riding at anchor off the island of Aix, 
distant about four leagues from Rochefort. We soon arrived 
at the place of embarkation, where we found some of our 
fellow passengers, who, like myself, seemed casting a last 
look to heaven whilst we were yet on the French soil. We 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 297 

embarked, however, and left these happy shores. In descend- 
ing the tortuous course of the Charente, contrary winds so 
impeded our progress that we did not reach the Medusa till 
the morrow, having taken twenty-four hours in sailing four 
leagues. At length we mounted the deck of the Medusa, of 
painful memory. When we got on board we found our berths 
not provided for us, consequently were obliged to remain in- 
discriminately together till next day. Our family, which con- 
sisted of nine persons, was placed in a berth near the main 
deck. As the wind was still contrary, we lay at anchor for 
several days. 

On the 17th of June, at four in the morning, we set sail, as 
did the whole expedition, which consisted of the Medusa fri- 
gate, the Loire store-ship, the Argus brig, and the Echo cor- 
vette. The wind being very favorable, we soon lost sight of 
the green fields of 1' Aunis. At six in the morning, however, 
the island of Rhe still appeared above the horizon. We fixed 
our eyes upon it with regret, to salute for the last time our 
dear country. Now, imagine the ship borne aloft, and sur- 
rounded by huge mountains of water, which at one moment 
tossed it in the air, and at another plunged it into the profound 
abyss. The waves, raised by a stormy north-west breeze, 
came dashing in a horrible manner against the sides of our 
ship. I know not whether it was a presentiment of the mis- 
fortune which menaced us that had made me pass the preced- 
ing night in the most cruel inquietude. In my agitation I 
sprung upon deck and contemplated with horror the frigate 
winging its way upon the waters. The winds pressed against 
the sails with great violence, strained and whistled among 
the cordage, and the great hulk of wood seemed to split every 
time the surge broke upon its sides. On looking a little out 
to sea I perceived, at no great distance on our right, all the 
other ships of the expedition, which quieted me much. To- 
ward ten in the morning the wind changed ; immediately an 
appalling cry was heard, concerning which the passengers, 
as well as myself, were equally ignorant. The whole crew 
were in motion. Some climbed the rope ladders, and seemed 
to perch on the extremities of the yards; others mounted to 
the highest parts of the masts ; these bellowing and pulling 
certain cordages in cadence ; those crying, swearing, whist- 
ling, and filling the air with barbarous and unknown sounds. 
The officer on duty, in his turn, roared out these words, star- 
board ! larboard ! hoist ! lufl?*! tack ! which the helmsman re- 
peated in the same tone. All this hubbub, however, produced 



298 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

its effect : the yards were turned on their pivots, the sails set, 
the cordage tightened, and the unfortunate sea-boys having 
received their lesson, descended to the deck. Every thing re- 
mained tranquil, except that the waves still roared, and the 
masts continued their creaking. However, the sails were 
swelled, the winds less violent, though favorable, and the ma- 
riner, while he carolled his song, said he had a noble voyage. 

During several days we did indeed enjoy a delightful pas- 
sage. All the ships of the expedition still kept together ; but 
at length the breeze became changeable, and they all disap- 
peared. The Echo, however, still kept in sight, and persisted 
in accompanying us, as if to guide us on our route. The 
wind becoming more favorable, we held due south, sailing at 
the rate of sixty-tAvo leagues a day. The sea was so fine, and 
our journey so rapid, that I began to think it nearly as agree- 
able to travel by sea as by land ; but my illusion was not of 
long duration. 

On the 28th of June, at six in the morning, we discovered 
the Peak of Teneriffe toward the south, the summit of whose 
cone seemed lost among the clouds. We were then distant 
about two leagues, which we made in less than a quarter of 
an hour. At ten o'clock we brought too before the town of 
St. Croix. Several officers got leave to go on shore to procure 
refreshments. 

While these gentlemen were away, a certain passenger, 
member of the self-instituted Philanthropic Society of Cape 
Verd, suggested that it was very dangerous to remain where 
we were, adding that he was well acquainted with the coun^ 
try, and had navigated in all these latitudes. M. Le Roy 
Lachaumareys, captain of the Medusa, believing the pre- 
tended knowledge of the intrigueing Richefort, gave him the 
command of the frigate. Various officers of the navy repre- 
sented to the captain how shameful it was to put such confi- 
dence in a stranger, and that they would never obey a man 
who had no character as a commander. The captain despis- 
ed these wise remonstrances; and using his authority, com- 
manded the pilots and the crew to obey Richefort ; saying 
he was king, since the orders of the king were that they 
should obey him. Immediately the impostor, desirous of dis- 
playing his great skill in navigation, made them change the 
route for no purpose but that of showing his skill in manoeuv- 
ring a ship. Every instant he changed the tack, went, 
came, and returned, and approached the very reefs, as if to 
brave them. In short, he beat e^bout so much ihvi,t the sai- 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 299 

lors at length refused to obey him, saying boldly that he was 
a vile impostor. But it was done. The man had gained the 
cronfidence of Captain Lachaumareys, who, ignorant of navi- 
gation himself, was doubtless glad to get some one to under- 
take his duty. But it must be told, and told, too, in the face 
of all Europe, that this blind and inept confidence was the 
sole cause of the loss of the Medusa frigate, as well as of all 
the crimes consequent upon it. 

Toward three in the afternoon, those officers who had 
gone on shore in the morning, returned on board loaded with 
vegetables, fruits and flowers. They laughed heartily at the 
mancBuvres that had been going on during their absence, 
which doubtless did not please the captain, who flattered him- 
self he had already found in this pilot Richefort a good and 
able seaman; such were his words. At four in the afternoon 
he took a southerly direction. M. Richefort then beaming 
with exultation for having, as he said, saved the Medusa from 
certain shipwreck, continued to give his pernicious counsels 
to Captain Lachaumareys, persuaded him he had been often 
employed to explore the shores of Africa, and that he was 
perfectly well acquainted with the Arguine Bank. The jour- 
nals of the 29th and 30th afford nothing very remarkable. 

The hot wind from the desert of Sahara began to be felt, 
which told us we approached the tropic ; indeed, the sun at 
noon seemed suspended perpendicularly above our heads, a 
phenomenon which few of us had ever seen. 

On the 1st of July we recognized Cape Bojador, and then 
saw the shores of Sahara. Toward ten in the morning they 
set about the frivolous ceremony which the sailors have in- 
vented for the purpose of exacting something from those pas- 
sengers who have never crossed the line. During the cere- 
mony the frigate doubled Cape Barbas, hastening to its de- 
struction. Captain Lachaumareys very good humoredly pre- 
sided at this species of baptism, while his dear Richefort pro- 
menaded the forecastle, and looked with indifference upon a 
shore bristling with danger. However that may be, all pass- 
ed on well ; nay, it may be even said that the farce was well 
played off. But the route which we pursued soon made us 
forget the short-lived happiness we had experienced. Every 
one began to observe the sudden change which had taken 
place in the color of the sea, as we ran upon a bank in shal- 
low water. A general murmur rose among the passengers 
and officers of the navy — they were far from partaking m 
the blind confidence of the captain. 



SOO SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

On the 2d of July, at five in the morning, the captain was 
persuaded that a large cloud, which was discovered in the di- 
rection of Cape Blanco, was that cape itself After this pre- 
tended discovery, they ought to have steered to the west, for 
about fifty leagues, to have gained sea-room to double with 
certainty the Arguin Bank ; moreover, they ought to have 
conformed to the instructions which the Minister of Marine 
had given to the ships which set out for Senegal. The other 
part of the expedition, from having followed these instructions, 
arrived in safety at their destination. During the preceding 
night the Echo, which had hitherto accompanied the Medu 
sa, made several signals, but being replied to with contempt, 
abandoned us. Toward ten in the morning, the danger whici 
tlireatened us was again represented to the captain, a-nd he 
was strongly urged, if he wished to avoid the Arguin Bank, 
to take a westerly course ; but the advice was again neglected, 
and he despised the predictions. One of the officers of the 
frigate, from having wished to expose the intriguing Richefort, 
was put under arrest. My father, who had already twice 
made the voyage to Senegal, and who with various persons 
was persuaded they were going right upon the bank, alsc 
made his observations to the unfortunate pilot. His advice 
was no better received than those of Messrs. Reynaud, Es 
pia, Maudet, &c. Richefort, in the sweetest tone, replied. 
"My dear^ we know our business; attend to yours, and h< 
quiet. I have already twice passed the Arguin Bank : I havn 
sailed upon the Red Sea, and you see I am not drowned.' 
What reply could be made to such a preposterous speech ? 
My father, seeing it was impossible to get our route changed, 
resolved to trust to Providence to free us from our danger, 
and descended to our cabin, where he sought to dissipate his 
fears in the oblivion of sleep. 

At noon, on the 2d of July, soundings were taken. IKL 
Maudet, ensign of the watch, was convinced we were upon 
the edge of the Arguin Bank. The captain said to him, as 
well as to every one, that there was no cause of alarm. In 
the mean while, the wind blowing with great violence, impell- 
ed us nearer and nearer to the danger which menaced us. A 
species of stupor overpowered all our spirits, and every one 
preserved a mournful silence, as if they were persuaded 
we would soon touch the bank. The color of the water en- 
tirely changed, a circumstance even remarked by the ladies. 
About three in the afternoon, being in 19 deg. 30 min. north 
latitude, and 19 deg. 45 min. west longitude, an universal cry 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 301 

was heard upon deck. All declared they saw sand rolling 
among the ripple of the sea. The captain in an instant or- 
dered to sound. The line gave eighteen fathoms ; but on a 
second sounding it only gave six. He at last saw his error, 
and hesitated no longer on changing his route, but it was too 
late. A strong concussion told us the frigate had struck. 
Terror and consternation were instantly depicted on every 
face. The crew stood motionless ; the passengers in utter 
despair. In the midst of this general panic, cries of ven- 
geance were heard against the principal author of our misfor- 
tunes, wishing to throw him overboard ; but some generous 
persons interposed, and endeavored to calm their spirits by 
diverting their attention to the means of our safety. The 
confusion was already so great, that M. Poinsignon, command- 
ant of a troop, struck my sister Caroline a severe blow, doubt- 
less thinking it was one of his soldiers. At this crisis my fa- 
ther was buried in profound sleep, but he quickly awoke, the 
cries and the tumult upon deck having informed him of our 
misfortunes. He poured out a thousand reproaches on those 
whose ignorance and boasting had been so disastrous to us. 
However, they set about the means of averting our danger. 
The officers, with an altered voice, issued their orders, expect- 
ing every moment to see the ship go in pieces. They strove 
to lighten her, but the sea was very rough and the current 
strong. Much time was lost in doing nothing ; they only 
pursued half measures, and all of them unfortunately failed. 

When it was discovered that the danger of the Medusa was 
not so great as was at first supposed, various persons propos- 
ed to transport the troops to the island of Arguin, which was 
conjectured to be not far from the place where we lay aground. 
Others advised to take us all successively to the coast of the 
desert of Sahara by the means of our boats, and with pro- 
visions sufficient to form a caravan, to reach the island of St. 
Louis, at Senegal. The events which afterward ensued 
proved this plan to have been the best, and which would have 
been crowned with success ; unfortunately it was not adopt- 
ed. M. Sehmahz, the governor, suggested the making of a 
raft of sufficient size to carry two hundred men, with pro- 
visions : which latter plan was seconded by the tw^o officers 
of the frigate, and put in execution. 

The fatal raft was then begun to be constructed, which 
would, they said, carry provisions for every one. Masts, 
planks, boards, cordage, were thrown overboard. Two offi- 
cers were charged with the framing of these together. Large 

26 



302 SHIPWRECK OF THB MEDUSA. 

barrels were emptied and placed at the angles of the machine, 
and the workmen were taught to say that the passenger* 
would be in greater security there, and more at their ease, 
than in the boats. However, as it was forgotten to erecl 
rails, every one supposed, and with reason, that those who 
had given the plan of the raft, had no design of embarking 
upon it themselves. 

When it was completed, the two chief officers of the fri- 
gate publicly promised, that all the boats would tow it to the 
shores of the Desert ; and, when there, stores of provisions 
and fire-arms would be given us to form a caravan to take us 
all to Senegal. Why was not this plan executed ? Why were 
these promises, sworn before the French flag, made in vain ? 
But it is necessary to draw a veil over the past. I will only 
add, that if these promises had been fulfilled, every one would 
have been saved, and that, in spite of the detestable egotism 
of certain personages, humanity would not now have had to 
deplore the scenes of horror consequent on the wreck of the 
Medusa ! 

On the third of July the efforts were renewed to disengage 
the frigate, but without success. We then prepared to quit 
her. The sea became very rough, and the wind blew with 
great violence. Nothing now was heard but the plaintive 
and confused cries of a multitude, consisting of more than 
four hundred persons, who, seeing death before their eyes, de- 
plored their hard fate in bitter lamentations. On the 4th 
there was a glimpse of hope. At the hour the tide flowed, 
the frigate, being considerably lightened by all that had been 
thrown overboard, was found nearly afloat ; and it is very 
certain, if on that day they had thrown the artillery into the 
water, the Medusa would have been saved ; but M. Lachaur 
mareys said he could not thus sacrifice the king's cannon, as 
if the frigate did not belong to the king also. However, the 
sea ebbed, and the ship sinking into the sand deeper than 
ever, made them relinquish that on which depended our last 
ray of hope. 

On the approach of night the fury of the winds redoubled, 
and the sea became very rough. The frigate then received 
some tremendous concussions, and the water rushed into the 
hold in the most terrific manner, but the pumps would not 
work. We had now no akernative but to abandon her for the 
frail boats, which any single w^ave would overwhelm. Fright- 
ful gulfs environed us ; mountains of water raised their li- 
quid summits in the distance. How were we to escape so 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 303 

many dangers? Whither could we go ? What hospitable land 
would receive us on its shores ? My thoughts then reverted to 
our beloved country. I did not regret Paris, but I could have 
^teemed myself happy to have been yet in the marshes on 
the road to Rochefort. Then starting suddenly from my re- 
verie, I exclaimed: *' O terrible condition! that black and 
boundless sea resembles the eternal night which will engulf 
us ! All those who surround me yet seem tranquil : but that 
fatal calm will soon be succeeded by the most frightful tor- 
ments. Fools, what had we to find in Senegal, to make us 
trust to the most perfidious of elements 7 Did France not af- 
ford every necessary for our happiness ? Happy ! yes, thrice 
happy they who never set foot on a foreign soil ! Great God ! 
succor all these unfortunate beings; save our unhappy fa- 
mily!" 

My father perceived my distress, but how could he console 
me ? What words could calm my fears, and place me above 
the apprehension of those dangers to which we were exposed ? 
How, in a word, could I assume a serene appearance, when 
friends, parents, and all that was most dear to me, were, in all 
human probability, on the very verge of destruction ? Alas ! 
*my fears were but too well founded. For I soon perceived 
that, although we were the only ladies, beside the Misses 
Schmaltz, who formed a part of the governor's suite, they 
had the barbarity of intending our family to embark upon the 
raft, where were only soldiers, sailors, planters of Cape Verd, 
and some generous officers, who had not the honor (if it could 
be accounted one) of being considered among the ignorant 
confidants of MM. Schmaltz and Lachaumareys. My father, 
indignant at a proceeding so indecorous, swore we would 
not embark upon the raft, and that, if we were not judged 
worthy of a place in one of the six boats, he would himselii 
his wife and children, remain on board the wreck of the fri- 
gate. The tone in which he spoke these words was that of a 
man resolute to avenge any insult that might be ofiered to 
him. The governor of Senegal, doubtless fearing the world 
would one day reproach him for his inhumanity, decided we 
should have a place in one of the boats. This having in some 
measure quieted our fears concerning our unfortunate situa- 
tion, I was desirous of taking some repose, but the uproar 
among the crew was so great I could not obtain it. 

Toward midnight a passenger came to inquire of my fa^ 
ther if we were disposed to depart; he replied, we had been 
forbidden to go yet. However we were soon convinced that 



304 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

a great part of the crew and various passengers were secretly 
preparing to set off in the boats. A conduct so perfidious 
could not fail to alarm us, especially as we perceived among 
those so eager to embark unknown to us, several who had 
promised, but a little while before, not to go without us. 

M. Schmaltz, to prevent that which was going on upon 
deck, instantly rose to endeavor to quiet their minds ; but the 
soldiers had already assumed a threatening attitude, and, hold- 
ing cheap the words of their commander, swore they would 
fire upon whosoever attempted to depart in a clandestine man- 
ner. The firmness of these brave men produced the desired 
effect, and all was restored to order. The governor returned 
to his cabin, and those who were desirous of departing fur- 
tively were confused and covered with shame. The gover- 
nor, however, was ill af ease ; and as he had heard very dis- 
tinctly certain energetic words which had been addressed to 
him, he judged it proper to assemble a council. All the 
officers and passengers being collected, M. Schmaltz there 
solemnly swore before them not to abandon the raft, and a se- 
cond time promised that all the boats would tow it to the 
shore of the desert, where they would all be formed into a 
caravan. I confess this conduct of the governor greatly sa- 
tisfied every member of our family; for we never dreamed he 
would deceive us, nor act in a manner contrary to what he 
had promised. 

About three in the morning, some hours after the meeting 
of the council, a terrible noise was heard in the powder-room ; 
it was the helm which was broken. All who were sleeping 
were roused by it. On going on deck every one was more 
and more convinced that the frigate was lost beyond all re- 
covery. Alas ! the wreck was, for our family, the commence- 
ment of a horrible series of misfortunes. The two chief offi- 
cers then decided, with one accord, that all should embark at 
six in the morning, and abandon the ship to the mercy of the 
waves. After this decision followed a scene the most whim- 
sical, and at the same time the most melancholy that can be 
well conceived. To have a more distinct idea of it, let the 
reader transport himself in imagination to the midst of the 
liquid plains of the ocean ; then let him picture to himself a 
multitude of all classes, of every age, tossed about at the 
mercy of the waves upon a dismasted vessel, foundered, and 
half submerged ; let him not forget these are thinking beings, 
with the certain prospect before them of having reached the 
goal of their existence. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 305 

Separated from the rest of the world by a boundless sea, 
and having no place of refuge but the wreck of a grounded 
vessel, the multitude addressed at first their vows to Heaven, 
and forgot, for a moment, all earthly concerns. Then, sud- 
denly starting from their lethargy, they began to look after 
their wealth, the merchandise they had in small ventures, ut- 
terly regardless of the elements that threatened them. The 
miser, thinking of the gold contained in his coffers, hastened 
to put it into a place of safety, either by sewing it into the 
lining of his clothes, or by cutting out for it a place in the 
waistband of his trowsers. The smuggler was tearing his 
hair at not being able to save a chest of contraband which he 
had secretly got on board, and with which he had hoped to 
have gained two or three hundred per cent. Another, selfish 
to excess, was throwing overboard all his hidden money, and 
amusing himself by burning all his efTects. A generous of- 
ficer was opening his portmanteau, offering caps, stockings, 
and shirts, to any who would take them. These had scarcely 
gathered together their various effects, when they learned that 
they could not take any thing with them; those were search- 
ing the cabins and store-rooms to carry away every thing that 
was valuable. Ship-boys were discovering the delicate wines 
and fine liquors which a wise foresight had placed in reserve. 
Soldiers and sailors were -penetrating into the spirit-room, 
broaching casks, staving others, and drinking till they fell ex- 
hausted. Soon the tumult of the inebriated made us forget 
the roaring of the sea which threatened to ingulf us. At 
last the uproar was at its height ; the soldiers no longer lis- 
tened to the voice of their captain. Some knit their brows 
and muttered oaths ; but nothing could be done with those 
whom wine had rendered furious. Next, piercing cries, mix- 
ed with doleful groans, were heard — this was the signal of 
departure. 

At six o'clock on the morning of the fifth, a great part of 
the military was embarked upon the raft, which was already 
covered with a large sheet of foam. The soldiers were ex- 
pressly prohibited from taking their arms. A young officer 
of infantry, whose brain seemed to be powerfully affected, 
put his horse beside the barricadoes of the frigate, and then, 
armed with two pistols, threatened to fire upon any one who 
refused to go upon the raft. Forty men had scarcely descend- 
ed when it sunk to the depth of about two feet. To facilitate 
the embarking of. a greater number, they were obliged to 
throw over several barrels of provisions which had been pla- 

26* 



306 SHIPWRECK OF fHE MtBtT^A. 

ced upon it the day before. In this manner did this furious 
officer get about one hundred and fifty heaped upon that float- 
ing tomb ; but he did not think of adding one more to the 
number by descending himself, as he ought to have done, but 
went peaceably away, and placed himself in one of the best 
boats. There should have been sixty sailors upon the raft, 
and there were but about ten, A list had been made out on 
the 4th, assigning each his proper place ; but this wise pre-* 
caution being disregarded, every one pursued the plan he 
deemed best for his own preservation. The precipitation with 
which they forced one hundred and fifty unfortunate beings 
upon the raft was such that they forgot to give them one 
morsel of biscuit. However, they threw toward them twenty- 
five pounds in a sack, whilst they were not far from the fri- 
gate ; but it fell into the sea, and was with difficulty reco- 
vered. 

During this disaster, the governor of Senegal, who was 
busied in the care of his ov/n dear self, effeminately descended 
in an arm-chair into the barge, where were already various 
large chests, all kinds of provisions, his dearest friends, his 
daughter, and his wife. Afterward the captain's boat received 
twenty-seven persons, amongst whom were twentj^-five sailors, 
good rowers. The shallop, commanded by M. Espiau, took 
forty-five passengers and put ofl^. The boat called the Senegal 
took twenty-five, the pinnace thirty-three, and the yav/l, the 
smallest of all the boats, took only ten. 

Almost all the ofncers, the passengers, the mariners, and 
supernumeraries, vrere already embarked — all but our weep- 
ing family, who still remained on the boards of the frigate 
till some charitable souls would kindly receive us into a boat. 
Surprised at this abandonment, I instantly felt myself roused, 
and called with all my might to the officers of the boat, be- 
sought them to take our unbappy family along with them. 
Soon after, the barge, in which were the governor of Sene- 
gal and all his family, approached the Medusa, as if still to 
take some passengers, for there were but few in it. I made 
a motion to descend, hoping that the Misses Schmaltz, who 
had, till that day, taken a great interest in our family, would 
allow us a place in their boat ; but I was mistaken : those la- 
dies, who had embarked in a mysterious incognito, had al- 
ready forgotten us ; and M. Lachaumareys, who was still on 
the frigate, positively told me they would not embark along 
with us. Nevertheless I ought to tell, what we learned after- 
ward, that the officer who commanded the pinnace had receiv- 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. S07 

ed orders to take us in, but, as he was already a great way 
from the frigate, we were certain he had abandoned us. My 
father, however, hailed him, but he persisted on his way to 
gain the open sea. A short \yhile afterward we perceived a 
small boat upon the waves, which seemed desirous to approach 
the Medusa ; it was the yawl. When it was sufficiently near, 
my father implored the sailors who were in it to take us on 
board, and to carry us to the pinnace, where our family ought 
to be placed. They refused. He then seized a firelock, which 
lay by chance upon deck, and svv^ore he would kill every 
one of them if they refused to take us into the yawl, adding 
that it was the property of the king, and that he would have 
advantage from it as well as another. The sailors murmured, 
but durst not resist, and received all our family, which con- 
sisted of nine persons, viz. four children, our stepmother, my 
cousin, my sister Caroline, my father, and myself. A small 
box, filled with valuable papers, which we wished to save, 
some clothes, two bottles of ratafia, which we had endeavored 
to preserve amidst our misfortunes, were seized and thro^vn 
overboard by the sailors of the yawl, who told us we would 
find in the pinnace every thing which we could wish for our 
voyage. We had then only the clothes which covered us, ne- 
ver thinking of dressing ourselves in two suits ; but the loss 
which affected us most was that of several manuscripts, at 
which my father had been laboring for a long while. Our 
trunks, our linen, and various chests of merchandise of great 
value ; in a word, every thing we possessed was left in the 
Medusa. When we boarded the pinnace the officer who com- 
manded it began excusing himself for having set ofi* without 
forewarning us, as he had been ordered, and said a thousand 
things in his justification. But, without believing half of his 
fine protestations, we felt very happy in having overtaken him ; 
for it is most certain that they had no intention of encumber- 
ing themselves with our unfortunate family. I say encumber, 
for it is evident that four children, one of whom was yet at the 
breast, were very indifferent beings to people who were actu- 
ated by a selfishness beyond all parallel. When we were 
seated in the long-boat, my father dismissed the sailors with 
the yawl, telling them he would ever gratefully remember 
their services. They speedily departed, but little satisfied with 
the good action they had done. My father hearing their mur- 
murs and the abuse they poured out against us, said, loud 
enough for all in the boat to hear, " We are not surprised 
sailors are destitute of shame, when their officers blush at be- 



808 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

ing compelled to do a good action." The commandant of the 
boat feigned not to understand the reproaches conveyed in 
these words, and to divert our minds from brooding over our 
wrongs, endeavored to counterfeit the man of gallantry. 

All the boats were already far from the Medusa, when they 
were brought to, to form a chain in order to tow the raft. 
The barge, in which was the governor of Senegal, took the 
first tow, then all the other boats in succession joined them- 
selves to that. M. Lachaumareys embarked, although there 
yet remained upon the Medusa more than sixty persons. 
Then the brave and generous M. Espiau, commander of the 
shallop, quitted the line of boats, and returned to the frigate, 
with the intention of saving all the wretches who had been 
abandoned. They all sprang into the shallop ; but as it was 
very much overloaded, seventeen unfortunates preferred re- 
maining on board rather than expose themselves as well as 
their companions to certain death. But, alas ! the greater part 
afterward fell victims to their fears or their devotion. Fifty- 
two days after they were abandoned, no more than three of 
them were alive, and these looked more like skeletons than 
men.* They told that their miserable companions had gone 
afloat upon planks and hen-coops, after having waited in vain 
forty-two days for the succor which had been promised them, 
and that all had perished. 

The shallop carrying with difficulty all these she had sav- 
ed from the Medusa, slowly rejoined the line of boats which 
towed the raft. M. Espiau earnestly besought the officers 
of the other boats to take some of them along with them ; but 
they refused, alledging to the generous officer that he ought 
to keep them in his own boat, as he had gone for them him- 
self. M. Espiau, finding it impossible to keep them all with- 
out exposing them to the utmost peril, steered right for a boat 
which I will not name. Immediately a sailor sprung from 
the shallop into the sea, and endeavored to reach it by SAvim- 
ming; and when he was about to enter it, an officer, who pos- 
sessed great influence, pushed him back, and drawing his sa- 

* Two of the three wretches who w^ere saved from the wreck of the 
Medusa died a few days after their arrival at the colony; and the 
third, who pretended to know a great many particulars relative to the 
desertion of the frigate, was assassinated in his bed at Senegal, when 
he was just upon the eve of setting off for France. The authorities 
could not discover the murderer, who had taken good care to flee from 
his victim, after having killed him. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 309 

bre, threatened to cut off his hands if he again made the at- 
tempt. The poor wretch regained the shallop, which was 
very near the pinnace, where we were. Various friends of 
my father supplicated M. Laperere, the officer of our boat, to 
receive him on board. My father had his arms already out 
to catch him, when M. Laperere instantly let go the rope 
which attached us to the oth'er boats, and tugged off with all 
his force. At the same instant every boat imitated the exe- 
crable example ; and wishing to shun the approach of the 
shallop, which sought for assistance, stood off from the raft, 
abandoning, in the midst of the ocean, and to the fury of the 
waves, the miserable mortals whom they had sworn to land 
on the shores of the desert. 

Scarcely had these cowards broken their oath, when we 
saw the French flag flying upon the raft. The confidence of 
these unfortunate persons was so great, that when they saw 
the first boat, which had the tow, removing from them, they 
all cried out. The rope is broken! the rope is broken ! But 
when no attention was paid to their observation, they instant- 
ly perceived the treachery of the wretches who had left them 
so basely. Then cries of Vive le Roi arose from the raft, as 
if the poor fellows were calling to their father for assistance ; 
or as if they had been persuaded that, at the rallying word, 
the oflicers of the boats would return, and not abandon their 
countrymen. The officers repeated the cry of Vive le Roi, 
without a doubt to insult them ; but more particularly M. 
Lachaumareys, who, assuming a martial attitude, waved his 
hat in the air. Alas ! what availed these false professions ? 
Frenchmen, menaced with the greatest peril, were demand- 
ing assistance with the cries of Vive le Roi ; yet none were 
found sufliciently generous, nor sufficiently French, to go to 
aid them. After a silence of some minutes, horrible cries 
were heard ; the air resounded with the groans, the lamenta- 
tions, the imprecations of these wretched beings, and the echo 
of the sea frequently repeated, Alas ! how cruel you are to 
abandon us!!! The raft already appeared to be buried un- 
der the waves, and its unfortunate passengers immersed. 
The fatal machine was drifted by currents far behind the 
wreck of the frigate ; without cable, anchor, mast, sail, oars, 
in a word, without the smallest means of enabling them to 
save themselves. Each wave that struck it made them 
stumble in heaps on one another. Their feet getting entan- 
gled among the cordage, and between the planks, bereaved 
tnem of the faculty of moving. Maddened by these misfor- 



310 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

tunes, suspended, adrift upon the merciless ocean, they were 
soon tortured betAveen the pieces of wood which formed the 
scaffold on which they floated. The bones of their feet and 
their legs were bruised and broken eveiy time the fury of 
the waves agitated the raft ; their flesh covered with contu- 
sions and hideous wounds, dissolved, as it were, in the briny 
waves, whilst the roaring flood around them was colored with 
their blood. 

As the raft, when it was abandoned, was nearly two leagues 
from the frigate, it was impossible these unfortunate persons 
could reach it ; they were soon after far out at sea. These 
victims still appeared above their floating tomb ; and stretch- 
ing out their supplicating hands toward the boats which fled 
from them, seemed yet to invoke, for the last time, the names 
of the wretches who had deceived them. O horrid day ! a 
day of shame and reproach ! Alas ! that the hearts of those 
who were so well acquainted with misfortune, should have 
been so inaccessible to pity ! 

After witnessing that most inhuman scene, and seeing they 
were insensible to the cries and lamentations of so many un- 
happy beings, I felt my heart burst with sorrow. It seemed 
to me that the waves would overwhelm all these wretches, 
and I could not suppress my tears. My father, exasperated 
to excess, and bursting with rage at seeing so much coward- 
ice and inhumanity among the officers of the boats, began to 
regret that he had not accepted the place which had been as- 
signed for us upon the raft. " At least," said he, " we would 
have died with the brave, or we would have returned to the 
wreck of the Medusa ; and not have had the disgrace of sa- 
ving ourselves with cowards." Although this produced no 
effect upon the officers, it proved very fatal to us afterward ; 
for, on our arrival at Senegal, it was reported to the governor, 
and very probably was the principal cause of all those evils 
and vexations which we endured in that colony. 

Let us now turn our attention to the several situations of 
all those who were endeavoring to save themselves in the dif- 
ferent boats, as well as to those left upon the wreck of the 
Medusa. 

We have already seen that the frigate was half sunk when 
it was deserted, presenting nothing but a hulk and a wreck. 
Nevertheless, seventeen still remained upon it, and had food, 
which, although damaged, enabled them to support themselves 
for a considerable time ; whilst the raft was abandoned to 
float at the mercy of the waves, upon the vast surface of the 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 311 

ocean. One hundred and fifty wretches were embarked upon 
it, sunk to the depth of at least three feet on its fore part, and 
on its poop immersed even to the middle. What victuals 
they had were soon consumed, or spoiled by the salt-water ; 
and perhaps some, as the waves hurried them along", became 
food for the monsters of the deep. Two only of all the boats 
which left the Medusa, and these with very few people in 
them, were provisioned with every necessity ; these struck 
off with security and despatch. But the condition of those 
who were in the shallop was but little better than those 
upon the raft ; their great distance from the shore gave them 
the most melancholy anticipations of the future Their wor- 
thy commander, M. Espiau, had no other hope but of reach- 
ing the shore as soon as possible. The other boats were less 
filled with people, but they were scarcely better provisioned; 
and, as by a species of fatality, the pinnace, in which were 
our family, was destitute of every thing. Our provisions 
consisted of a barrel of biscuit and a tierce of water ; and, to 
add to our misfortunes, the biscuit being soaked in the sea, 
it was almost impossible to swallow one morsel of it. Each 
passenger in our boat was obliged to sustain his wretched ex- 
istence with a glass of water, which he could get only once 
a day. To tell how this happened, how this boat was so 
poorly supplied, whilst there was abundance left upon the 
Medusa, is far beyond my power. But it is at least certain 
that the greater part of the officers, commanding the boats, 
the shallop, the pinnace, the Senegal boat, and the yawl, were 
persuaded, when they quitted the frigate, that they Avould not 
abandon the raft, but that all the expedition would sail together 
to the coast of Sahara; that when there, the boats would be 
again sent to the Medusa, to take provisions, arms, and those 
who were left there; but it appears the chiefs had decided 
otherwise. 

After abandoning the raft, although scattered, all the boats 
formed a little fleet, and followed the same route. All who 
were sincere hoped to arrive the same day at the coast of the 
desert, and that every one would get on shore; but MM. 
Schmaltz and Lachaumareys gave orders to take the route 
for Senegal. This sudden change in the resolutions of the 
chiefs was like a thunderbolt to the officers commanding the 
boats. Having nothing on board but what was barely neces- 
sary to enable us to allay the cravings of hunger for one day, 
we were all sensibly affected. The other boats, which, like 
ourselves, hoped to have got on shore at the nearest point, 



312 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

were a little better provisioned than we were ; they had at 
least a little wine, which supplied the place of other necessa- 
ries. We then demanded some from them, explaining our 
situation ; but none would assist us, not even Captain Lachau- 
mareys, who, drinking to a kept mistress, supported by two 
sailors, swore he had not one drop on board. We were next 
desirous of addressing the boat of the governor of Senega], 
where we were persuaded were plenty of provisions of every 
kind, such as oranges, biscuits, cakes, comfits, plums, and 
even the finest liqueurs ; but my father opposed it, so well 
was he assured we would not obtain any thing. 

We will now turn to the condition of those on the raft, when 
the boats left them to themselves. 

If all the boats had continued dragging the raft forward, 
favored as we were by the breeze from the sea, we would 
have been able to have conducted them to the shore in less 
than two days. But an inconceivable fatality caused the ge- 
nerous plan to be abandoned. 

When the raft had lost sight of the boats, a spirit of sedi- 
tion began to manifest itself in furious cries. They then be- 
gan to regard one another with ferocious looks, and to thirst 
for one another^s flesh. Some one had already whispered of 
having recourse to that monstrous extremity, and of com-^ 
mencing with the fattest and youngest. A proposition so atro- 
eious filled the brave Captain Dupont and his worthy lie^ute- 
nant M. L'Heureux, with horror: and that courage which had 
so often supported them in the field of glory, now forsook 
them. Among the first who fell under the hatchets of the 
assassins was a young woman who had been seen devouring 
the body of her husband. When her turn was come, she 
sought a little wine as a last favor, then rose, and without ut- 
tering one word, threw herself into the sea. Captain Dumont 
being proscribed for having refused to partake of the sacril^ 
gious viands on which the monsters were feeding, was saved 
as by a miracle from the hands of the butchers. Scarcely had 
they seized him to lead him to the slaughter, when a large 
pole, which served in place of a mast, fell upon his body ; and 
believing that his legs were broken, they contented them- 
selves by throwing him into the sea. The unfortunate cap- 
tain plunged, disappeared, and they thought him already in 
another world. 

Providence, however, revived the strength of the unfortu- 
nate warrior. He emerged under the beams of the raft, and 
clinging with all his might, holding his head above water, he 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA, 313 

remained between two enormous pieces of wood, whilst tlie 
rest of his body was hid in the sea. After more than two 
hours of suffering, Captain Dupont spoke in a low voice to 
his lieutenant, who by chance was seated near the place of 
concealment. The brave L'Heureux, his eyes glistening with 
tears, believed that he heard the voice and saw the shade of his 
captain, and trembling, was about to quit the place of hor- 
ror : but, O wonderful ! he saw a head which seemed to draw 
its last sigh, he recognized it, he embraced it — alas ! it was 
his dear friend ! Dupont was instantly draw from the water, 
and L'Heureux obtained for his unfortunate comrade again 
a place upon the raft. Those Avho had been so inveterate 
against him, touched at what Providence had done for him in 
so miraculous a manner, decided, with one accord, to allow 
him entire liberty upon the raft. 

The sixty unfortunates who had escaped from the first 
massacre, were soon reduced to fifty, then to forty, and at 
last to twenty-eight. The least murmur, or the smallest 
complaint, at the moment of distributing the provisions, was 
a crime punished with immediate death. In consequence of 
such a regulation, it may easily be presumed the raft was 
soon lightened. In the meanwhile the wine diminished sen- 
sibly, and the half rations very much displeased a certain 
chief of the conspiracy. On purpose to avoid being reduced 
to that extremity, the executive foicer decided it was much 
wiser to drown thirteen people, and to get full rations, than that 
twenty-eight should have half rations. Merciful Heaven ! 
what sharhel After the last catastrophe, the chiefs of the 
conspiracy, fearing doubtless of being assassinated in their 
turn, threw all the arms into the sea, and swore an inviolable 
friendship with the heroes which the hatchet had spared. 
On the 17th of July, in the morning. Captain Parnajon, com- 
mandant of the Argus brig, still found fifteen men on the raft. 
They Avere immediately taken on board, and conducted to 
Senegal. Four of the fifteen are yet alive, viz. Captain Du- 
pont, residing in the neighborhood of Maintenon, Lieutenant 
L'Heureux, since captain at Senegal, Savigny, at Rochefort, 
and Correard, I know not where. 

On the 5lh of July, at ten in the morning, one hour after 
abandoning the raft^ and three after quitting the Medusa, M. 
Laperere, the officer of our boat, made the first distribution 
of provisions. Each passenger had a small glass of water 
and nearly the fourth of a biscuit. Each drank his allow- 
ance of water at one draught, but it wai "" ' ' • 

27 



314 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDL'SA. 

swallow one morsel of our biscuit, it being so impregnated 
with sea-water. It happened, however, that some was not 
quite so saturated. Of these Ave ate a small portion, and put 
back the remainder for a future day. Our voyage would 
have been sufficiently agreeable, if the beams of the sun had 
not been so fierce. On the evening we perceived the shores 
of the Desert; but as the two chiefs (MM. Schmaltz and La- 
chaumareys) wished to go right to Senegal, notv^rithstanding 
we were still one hundred leagues from it, we were not allow- 
ed to land. Several officers remonstrated, both on account 
of our want of provisions and the crowded condition of the 
boats for undertaking so dangerous a voyage. Others urged 
with equal force, that it would be dishonoring the French 
name if we were to neglect the unfortunate people on the 
raft, and insisted we should be set on shore, and whilst we 
waited there, three boats should return to look -after the raft, 
and three to the wreck of the frigate, to take up the seven- 
teen who were left there, as well as a sufficient quantity of 
provisions to enable us to go to Senegal by the way of Bar- 
bary. But MM. Schmaltz and Lachaumareys, whose boats 
were sufficiently well provisioned, scouted the advice of their 
subalterns, and ordered them to cast anchor till the following 
morning. They were obliged to obey these orders, and to re- 
linquish their designs. During the night, a certain passenger, 
who was doubtless no doctor, and who believed in ghosts and 
witches, was suddenly frightened by the appearance of flames 
which he tlioaght he saw in the waters of the sea, a little way 
from where our boats were anchored. My father, and some 
others, who were aware that the sea is sometimes phosphora- 
ted, confirmed the poor credulous man in his belief, and added 
several circumstances which fairly turned his brain. They 
persuaded him the Arabic sorcerers had fired the sea to pre- 
vent us from traveling along their deserts. 

On the morning of the Gth of July, at five o'clock, all the 
boats were under way on the route to Senegal. The boats of 
MM. Schmaltz and Lachaumareys took the lead along the 
coast, and all the expedition followed. About eight, several 
sailors in our boat, with threats, demanded to be set on shore ; 
but M. Laperere, not acceding to their requests, the whola 
wei-e about to revolt and seize the command ; but the firm- 
ness of this officer quelled the mutineers. In a spring which 
he made to seize a firelock which a sailor persisted in keep- 
ing in his possession, he almost tumbled into the sea. My 
father fortunately was near him, and held him by his clothes, 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 315 

but he had instantly to quit him for fear of losing" his hat, 
which the waves were floating away. A short while after this 
slight accident, the shallop, which we had lost sight of since 
the morning, appeared desirous of rejoining us. We plied all 
hands to avoid her, for we were afraid of one another, and 
thought that that boat, encumbered with so many people, wish- 
ed to board us, to oblige us to take some of its passengers, as 
M. Espiau would not suffer them to be abandoned like those 
upon the raft. That officer hailed us at a distance, offering to 
take our family on board, adding, he was anxious to take about 
sixty people to the Desert. The officer of our boat, thinking 
that this was a pretence, replied, we preferred suffering where 
we were. It even appeared to us that M. Espiau had hid some 
of his people under the benches of the shallop. But, alas ! in 
the end we deeply deplored being so suspicious, and of having 
so outraged the devotion of the most generous officer of the 
Medusa. 

Our boat began to leak considerably, but we prevented it 
as well as we could by stuffing the largest holes with oakum, 
which an old sailor had had the precaution to take before 
quitting the frigate. At noon the heat became so strong — so 
intolerable, that several of us believed we had reached our 
last moments. The hot winds of the Desert even reached us 5 
and the fine sand with which they were loaded had complete- 
ly obscured the clearness of the atmosphere. The sun pre- 
sented a reddish disk ; the whole surface of the ocean became 
nebulous, and the air which we breathed, depositing a fine 
sand, an impalpable powder, penetrated to our lungs, already 
parched with a burning thirst. In this state of torment we 
remained till four in the afternoon, when a breeze from the 
north-west brought us some relief Notwithstanding the pri- 
vations we felt, and especially the burning thirst which had 
become intolerable, the cool air which we now began to 
breathe made us in part forget our sufferings. The heavens 
began again to resume the usual serenity of those latitudes, 
and we hoped to have passed a good night. A second distri- 
bution of provisions was made ; each received a small glass 
of water and about the eighth part of a biscuit. Notwith- 
standing our meager fare, every one seemed content, in the 
persuasion we would reach Senegal by the morrow. But 
how vain were all our hopes, and what sufferings had we yet 
to endure ! 

At half past seven the sky was overcast with stormy clouds. 
The serenity we had admired a little while before entirely dis- 



316 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDFSA. 

appeared, and gave place to the most gloomy obscurity. The 
surface of the ocean presented all the signs of a coming tem- 
pest. The horizon, on the side of the Desart, had the appear- 
ance of a long hideous chain of mountains piled on one an- 
other, the summits of which seemed to vomit fire and smoke. 
Blueish clouds, streaked with a dark copper color, detached 
themselves from that shapeless heap, and came and joined 
with those which floated over our heads. In less than half 
an hour the ocean seemed confounded with the terrible sky 
which canopied us. The stars were hid. Suddenly a fright- 
ful noise was heard from the west, and all the waves of the 
sea rushed to founder our frail bark. A fearful silence suc- 
ceeded to the general consternation. Every tongue was mute; 
and none durst communicate to his neighbor the horror with 
which his mind was impressed. At intervals the cries of the 
children rent our hearts. At that instant a weeping and ago- 
nized mother bared her breast to her dying child, but it yield- 
ed nothing to appease the thirst of the little innocent who 
pressed it in vain. O night of horrors ! what pen is capable 
to paint thy terrible picture f How describe the agonizing 
fears of a father and mother at the sight of their children toss- 
ed about and expiring of hunger in a small boat, which the 
winds and waves threatened to ingulf at every instant ! Hav- 
ing full before our eyes the prospect of inevitable death, we 
gave ourselves up to our unfortunate condition, and addressed 
our prayers to Heaven. The winds growled with the utmost 
fury ; the tempestuous waves arose exasperated. In their ter- 
rific encounter a mountain of water was precipitated into our 
boat, carrying away one of the sails and the greater part of 
the effects which the sailors had saved from the Medusa. Our 
bark was nearly sunk ; the females and the children lay roll- 
ing in its bottom, drinking the waters of bitterness ; and their 
cries, mixed with the roaring of the waves and the furious 
north wind, increased the horrors of the scene. My unfortu- 
nate father then experienced the most excruciating agony of 
mind. The idea of the loss which the shipwreck had occa- 
sioned to him, and the danger which still menaced all he held 
dearest in the world, plunged him into a deep swoon. The 
tenderness of his wife and children recovered him ; but, alas ! 
his recovery was to still more bitterly deplore the wretched 
situation of his family. He clasped as to his bosom ; he bathed 
us with his tears, and seemed as if he was regarding us with 
his last looks of love. 

Every soul in the boat was seized with the same perturbs- 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 317 

tion, but it manifested itself in different ways. One part of 
the sailors remained motionless, in a bewildered state ; the 
other cheered and encouraged one another ; the children, lock- 
ed in the arms of their parents, wept incessantly. Some de^ 
manded drink, vomiting the salt water which choked them ; 
others, in short, embraced as for the last time, entwining their 
arms and vowing to die together. 

In the meanwhile the sea became rougher and rougher. 
The whole surface of the ocean seemed a vast plain furrowed 
with huge blackish waves fringed with white foam. The thun- 
der growled around us, and the lightning discovered to our 
eyes all that our imagination could conceive most horrible. 
Our boat, beset on all sides by the winds, and at every instant 
tossed on the summit of mountains of water, was very nearly 
sunk in spite of our every effort in bailing it, when we dis- 
covered a large hole in its poop. It was instantly stuffed with 
every thing we could find ; old clothes, sleeves of shirts, shreds 
of coats, shawls, useless bonnets, every thing was employed, 
and secured us as far as it was possible. During the space of 
six hours we rowed suspended ahernately between hope and 
fear, between life and death. At last, toward the middle of the 
night, Heaven, which had seen our resignation, commanded 
the floods to be still. Instantly the sea became less rough, the 
veil which covered the sky became less obscure, the stars again 
shone out, and the tempest seemed to withdraw. A general 
exclamation of joy and thankfulness issued at one instant from 
every mouth. The winds calmed, and each of us sought a 
little sleep whilst our good and generous pilot steered our boat 
on a still very stormy sea. 

The day at last, the day so much desired, entirely restored 
the calm ; but it brought no other consolation. During the 
night the currents, the waves, and the winds had taken us so 
far out to sea, that on the dawning of the 7th of July we saw 
nothing but sky and water, without knowing whither to direct 
our course ; for our compass had been broken during the tem- 
pest. In this hopeless condition we continued to steer some- 
times to the right and sometimes to the left, until the sun arose, 
and at last showed us the east. 

On the morning of the 7th of July we again saw the shores 
of the Desert, notwithstanding we were yet a great distance 
from it. The sailors renewed their murmurings, wishing to 
get on shore, with the hope of being able to get some whole- 
some plants and some more palatable water than that of the 
»ea ; but as we were afraid of the Moors, their request was 

27* 



318 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDFSA, 



opposed. However, M. Laperere proposed to take them as 
near as he could to the first breakers on the coast, and when 
there, those who wished to go on shore should throw them- 
selves into the sea and swim to land. Eleven accepted the 
proposal ; but when we had reached the first waves, none had 
the courage to brave the mountains of water which rolled be- 
tween them and the beach. Our sailors then betook them- 
selves to their benches and oars, and promised to be more qui- 
et for the future. A short while after, a third distribution was 
made since our departure from the Medusa ; and nothing more 
remained than four pints of water and one half dozen bis- 
cuits. What steps were we to take in this cruel situation 1 
We were desirous of going on shore, but we had such dangers 
to encounter ! However, we soon came to a decision when 
we saw a caravan of Moors on the coast. We then stood a 
little out to sea. According to the calculation of our com- 
manding officer, we could arrive at Senegal on the morrow. 
Deceived by the false account, we preferred suffering one day 
more, rather than to be taken by the Moors of the Desert, or 
perish among the breakers. We had now no more than a 
small half glass of water and the seventh of a biscuit. -Ex- 
posed as we were to the heat of the sun, which darted its 
rays perpendicularly on our heads, that ration, though small, 
would have been a great relief to us; but the distribution 
was delayed to the morrow. Yv^e were then obliged to drink 
the bitter sea-water, ill as it v/as calculated to quench our 
thirst. Must I tell it ? thirst had so withered the lungs of our 
sailors that they drank Salter water than that of the sea I 
Our numbers diminished daily, and nothing but the hope of 
arriving at the colony on the following day sustained our frail 
existence. My young brothers and sisters wept incessantly 
for water. The little Laura, aged six years, lay dying at the 
feet of her mother. Her mournful cries so moved the soul 
of my unfortunate father, that he was on the eve of opening a 
vein to quench the thirst which consumed his child ; but a 
wise person opposed his design, observing that all the blood 
in his body would not prolong the life of his infant child one 
moment. 

The freshness of the night-wind procured us some respite. 
We anchored pretty near to the shore, and, though dymg of 
famine, each got a tranquil sleep. On the morning of the 8th 
of July, at break of day, we took the route of Senegal. A 
short while after the wind fell, and we had a dead calm. We 
endeavored to row, but our strength was exhausted. A fourth 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 319 

and last distribution was made, and, in the twinkling of an 
eye, our last resources were consumed. We were forty-two 
people who had to feed upon six biscuits and about /o2^r pints 
of water, with no hope of a farther supply. Then came the 
moment for deciding whether we were to perish among the 
breakers which defended the approach to the shores of the 
Desert, or to die of famine in continuing our route. The ma- 
jority preferred the last species of misery. We continued our 
progress along the shore, painfully pulling our oars. Upon 
the beach were distinguished several downs of white sand, 
and some small trees. We Avere thus creeping along the 
coast, observing a mournful silence, when a sailor suddenly 
exclaimed, " Behold the Moors !" We did, in fact, see various 
individuals upon the rising ground, walking at a quick pace, 
and whom we took to be the Arabs of the Desert. As we 
were very near the shore, we stood farther out to sea, fearing 
that these pretended Moors, or Arabs, would throw them- 
selves into the sea, swim out, and take us. Some hours after, 
we observed several people upon the eminence, who seemed 
to make signals to us. We examined them attentively, and 
soon recognized them to be our companions in misfortune. 
We replied to them by attaching a white handkerchief to the 
top of our mast. Then we resolved to land, at the risk of 
perishing among the breakers, which were very strong to- 
ward the shore, although the sea was calm. On approach- 
ing the beach we went toward the right, where the waves 
seemed less agitated, and endeavored to reach it, with the 
hope of being able more easily to land. Scarcely had we direct- 
ed our course to that point, when we perceived a great num- 
ber of people standing near to a little wood surrounding the 
sand hills. We recognized them to be the passengers of that 
boat, who, like ourselves, were deprived of provisions. 

Meanwhile we approached the shore, and already the foam- 
ing surge filled us with terror. Each wave that came upon 
the open sea, each billow that swept beneath our boat, made 
us bound into the air ; so we were sometimes thrown from 
the poop to the prow, and from the prow to the poop. Then, 
if our pilot had missed the sea, we would have been sunk ; 
the waves would have thrown us aground, and we would have 
been buried among the breakers. The helm of the boat was 
again given to the old pilot, who had already so happily steer- 
ed us through the dangers of the storm. He instantly threw 
into the sea the mast, the sails, and every thing that could 
impede our proceedings. When we came to the first landing 



320 SHIPWRECK OF TH£ MEDtfsA. 

point, several of our shipwrecked companions, who had reach- 
ed the shore, ran and hid themselves behind the hills, not to 
see us perish ; others made signs not to approach at that 
place ; some covered their eyes with their hands : others, at 
last, despising the danger, precipitated themselves into the 
waves to receive us into their arms. We then saw a specta- 
cle that made us shudder. We had already doubled two ran- 
ges of breakers ; but those which we had still to cross raised 
their foaming waves to a prodigious height, then sunk with a 
hollow and monstrous sound, sweeping along a long line of the 
coast. Our boat, sometimes greatly elevated, and sometimes 
ingulfed between the waves, seemed now given up to utter 
ruin. Bruised, battered, tossed about on all hands, it turned 
of itself, and refused to obey the kind hand which directed 
it. At that instant a huge wave rushed from the open sea and 
dashed against the poop : the boat plunged, disappeared, and 
we were all among the waves. Our sailors, whose strength 
had returned at the presence of danger, redoubled their ef- 
forts, uttering mournful sounds. Our bark groaned, the oars 
were broken ; it was thought aground, but it was stranded ; 
it was upon its side. The last sea rushed upon us with the 
impetuosity of a torrent. We were up to the neck in water ; 
the bitter sea-froth choked us. The grapnel was thrown out. 
The sailors threw themselves into the sea ; they took the 
children in their arms ; returned, and took us upon their 
shoulders ; and I found myself seated upon the sand on the 
shore, by the side of my step-mother, my brothers and sisters, 
almost dead. Every one was upon the beach except my fa- 
ther and some sailors ; but that good man arrived at last, to 
mingle his tears with those of his family and friends. 

Instantly our hearts joined in addressing our prayers and 
praises to God. I raised my hands to heaven, and remained 
some time immovable upon the beach. Every one also hast- 
ened to testify his gratitude to our old pilot, who, next to God, 
justly merited the title of our preserver. M. Dumege, a naval 
surgeon, gave him an elegant gold watch, the only thing he 
had saved from the Medusa. 

Let the reader now recollect all the perils to which we had 
been exposed in escaping from the wreck of our frigate to the 
shores of the Desert — all that we had suffered during our four 
days' voyage — and he will perhaps have a just notion of the 
rarious sensations we felt on getting on shore on that strange 
and savage land. Doubtless the joy we experienced at hav- 
ing escaped, as by a miracle, the fury of the floods, was very 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 321 

great ; but how much was it lessened by the feelings of our 
horrible situation ! Without water, without provisions, and the 
majority of us nearly naked, was it to be wondered at that we 
should be seized with terror on thinking of the obstacles 
which we had to surmount, the fatigues, the privations, the 
pains, and the sufferings Ave had to endure, with the dangers 
we had to encounter in the immense and frightful desert we 
had to traverse before we could arrive at our destination ? Al- 
mighty Providence ! it was in Thee alone I put my trust. 

After we had a little recovered from the fainting and ia- 
tigue of our getting on shore, our fellow-sufferers told us they 
had landed in the forenoon, and had cleared the breakers by 
the strength of their oars and sails ; but they had not all been 
so lucky as we were. One imfortunate person, too desirous 
of getting quickly on shore, had his legs broken under the 
shallop, and was taken and laid on the beach, and left to the 
care of Providence. M. Espiau, commander of the shallop, 
reproached us for having doubted him when he wished to 
board us to take our family along with him. It was most 
true he had landed sixty-three people that day. A short while 
after our refusal, he took the passengers of the yawl, who 
would infallibly have perished in the stormy night of the 6th 
and 7th. The boat named the Senegal, commanded by M. 
Maudet, had made the shore at the same time with M. Es- 
piau. The boats of MM. Schmaltz and Lachaumareys were 
the only ones which continued the route for Senegal, whilst 
nine-tenths of the Frenchmen intrusted to these gentlemen 
were butchering each other on the raft, or dying of hunger 
on the burning sands of Sahara. 

About seven in the morning a caravan was formed to pene- 
trate into the interior, for the purpose of finding some fresh 
water. We did accordingly find some at a little distance 
from the sea, by digging among the sand. Every one in- 
stantly flocked round the little wells, which furnished enough 
to quench our thirst. This brackish water was found to be 
delicious, although it had a sulphurous taste : its color was 
that of whey. As all our clothes were wet and in tatters, 
and as we had nothing to change them, some generous offi- 
cers offered theirs. My step-mother, my cousin, and my sis- 
ter were dressed in them ; for myself, I preferred keeping my 
own. We remained nearly an hour beside our beneficient 
fountain, then took the route for Senegal ; that is, a southerly 
direction, for Ave did not knoAv exactly where that country lay. 
It was agreed that the females and children should walk b^- 



322 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 



fore the caravan, that they might not be left behind. The 
sailors voluntarily carried the youngest on their shoulders, 
and every one took the route along the coast. Notwithstand- 
ing it was nearly seven o'clock, the sand was quite burning, 
and we suffered severely, walking without shoes, having lost 
them whilst landing. As soon as we arrived on the shore, we 
went to walk on the wet sand, to cool us a little. Thus we 
traveled during all the night, without encountering any thing 
but shells, which wounded our feet. 

On the morning of the 9th we saw an antelope on the top 
of a little hill, which instantly disappeared, before we had 
time to shoot it. The desert seemed to our view one im- 
mense plain of sand, on which was seen not one blade of ver- 
dure. However, we still found water by digging in the sand. 
In the forenoon, two officers of marine complained that our 
family incommoded the progress of the caravan. It is true, 
the females and the children could not walk so quickly as the 
men. We walked as fast as it was possible for us, neverthe- 
less, we often fell behind, which obliged them to halt till we 
came up. These officers, joined with other individuals, con- 
sidered among themselves whether they would wait for us, or 
abandon us in the desert. I will be bold to say, however, 
that but few were of the latter opinion. My father being in- 
formed of what was plotting against us, stepped up to the 
chiefs of the conspiracy and reproached them in the bitterest 
terms for their selfishness and brutality. The dispute waxed 
hot. Those who were desirous of leaving us drew their 
swords, and my father put his hand upon a poignard, with 
which he had provided himself on quitting the frigate. At 
this scene we threw ourselves in between them, conjuring 
him rather to remain in the desert with his family, than seek 
the assistance of those who were, perhaps, less humane than 
the Moors themselves. Several people took our part, parti- 
cularly M. Bregnere, captain of infantry, who quieted the dis- 
pute by saying to his soldiers, " My friends, you are French- 
men, and I have the honor of being your commander ; let us 
never abandon an unfortunate family in the desert, so long as 
we are able to be of use to them." This brief, but energetic 
speech, caused those to blush Avho wished to leave us. All 
then joined with the old captain, saying they would not leave 
us, on condition we would walk quicker. M. Bregnere and 
his soldiers replied, they did not wish to impose conditions on 
those to whom they were desirous of doing a favor ; and the 
unfortunate family of Picard were a^ain on the road with the 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 323 

whole caravan. Some time after this dispute M. Rogery, mem- 
ber of the Philanthropic Society of Cape Verd, secretly left 
the caravan, striking into the middle of the Desert, without 
knowing very Avell what he sought. He wished perhaps to 
explore the ancient country of the Numidians and Getulians, 
and to give himself a slave to the great Emperor of Morocco. 
What would it aA^ail to acquire such celebrity ? That intrepid 
traveler had not time to find that after which he searched ; for 
a few days after he was captured by the Moors, and taken to 
Senegal, where the governor paid his ransom. 

About noon hunger was feh so powerfully among us that 
it was agreed upon to go to the small hills of sand, which 
were near the coast, to see if any herbs could be found fit for 
eating ; but we only got poisonous plants, among which were 
various kinds of euphorbium. Convol vu] uses of a bright green 
carpeted the downs ; but on tasting their leaves we found them 
as bitter as gall. The caravan rested in this place, whilst se- 
veral officers went farther into the interior. They came back 
in about an hour, loaded with wild purslain, which they dis- 
tributed to each of us. Every one instantly devoured his bunch 
of herbage without leaving the smallest branch ; but as our 
hunger was far from being satisfied with this small allowance, 
the soldiers and sailors betook themselves to look for more. 
They soon brought back a sufficient quantity, which was equal- 
ly distributed, and devoured upon the spot, so delicious had hun- 
ger made that food to us. For myself, I declared I never ate 
any thing with so much appetite in all my life. Water Ava« 
also found in this place, but it was of an abominable taste. 
After this truly frugal repast we continued our route. The 
heat was insupportable in the last degree. The sands on 
which we trod were burning ; nevertheless, several of us walk- 
ed on these scorching coals without shoes ; and the females 
had nothing but their hair for a cap. When we reached the 
sea-shore we all ran and lay down among the waves. After 
remaining there some time, we took our route along the west 
beach. On our journey we met with several large crabs, which 
were of considerable service to us. Every now and then we 
endeavored to slake our thirst by sucking their crooked claws. 
About nine at night we halted between two pretty high sand 
hills. After a short talk concerning our misfortunes, all seem- 
ed desirous of passing the night in this place, notwithstanding 
we heard on every side the roaring of leopards. We delibe- 
rated on the means of securing ourselves, but sleep soon put 
an end to our fears. Scarcely had we slumbered a few hours 



324 SHIPWRECK or the medusa. 

when a terrible roaring of wild beasts awoke us, and made us 
stand on our defence. It was a beautiful moonlight night, and, 
in spite of my fears and the horrible aspect of the place, nature 
never appeared so sublime to me before. Instantly something 
was announced that resembled a lion. This information was 
listened to with the greatest emotion. Every one being de- 
sirous of verifying the truth, fixed upon something he thought 
to be the object ; one believed he saw the long teeth of the 
king of the forest ; another was convinced his mouth was 
already open to devour us ; several, armed with m^uskets, aim- 
ed at the animal, and advancing a few steps, discovered the 
pretended lion to be nothing more than a shrub fluctuating in 
the breeze. However, the bowlings of ferocious beasts had so 
frightened us, being yet heard at intervals, that we again sought 
the sea-shore, on purpose to continue our route toward the 
south. 

Our situation had been thus perilous during the night ; ne^ 
rertheless at break of day we had the satisfaction of finding 
none miseing. About sunrise we held a little to the east to get 
farther into the interior to find fresh water, and lost much time 
in a vain search. The country which we now traversed was a 
little less arid than that which we had passed the preceding 
day. The hills, the valleys, and a vast plain of sand were 
strewed Avith mimosa, or sensitive plants, presenting to our 
sight a scene we had never before seen in the desert. The 
country is bounded as it Avere by a chain of mountains or 
high downs of sand, in the direction of north and south, Avith- 
out the slightest trace of cultivation. 

Toward ten in the morning some of our companions \YBre 
desirous of making observations in the interior, and they did 
not go in vain. They instantly returned and told us they had 
seen two Arab tents upon a slight rising ground. We in- 
stantly directed our steps thither. We had to pass great 
downs of sand, very slippery, and arrived in a large plain, 
streaked here and therewith verdure; but the turf was so 
hard and piercing we could scarcely walk over it without 
wounding our feet. Our presence in these frightful solitudes 
put to flight three or four Moorish shepherds, who herded a 
small flock of sheep and goats in an oasis. At last we arrived 
at the tents after which Ave Avere searching, and found in 
them three Mooresses and two little children, who did not 
seem in the least frightened by our visit. A negro servant, 
belonging to an officer of marine, interpreted between us 
and the good Avomen, Avho, Avhen they had heard of our mis- 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 325 

fortunes, ofTered us millet and water for payment. We bought 
a little of that grain at the rate of thirty pence a handful ; the 
water was got for three francs a glass ; it was very good, 
and none grudged the money it cost. As a glass of water, 
with a handful of millet, was but a poor dinner for famished 
people, my father bought two kids, which they would not give 
him under twenty piasters. We immediately killed them, and 
our Mooresses boiled them in a large kettle. Whilst our re- 
past was preparing, my father, who could not afford the whole 
of the expense, got others to contribute to it ; but an old offi- 
cer of marine, who was to have been captain of the port of 
Senegal, was the only person who refused, notwithstanding 
he had about him nearly three thousand francs, which he 
boasted of in the end. Several soldiers and sailors had seen 
him count it in round pieces of gold, on coming ashore on the 
desert, and reproached him for his sordid avarice ; but he 
seemed insensible to their reproaches, nor ate the less of his 
portion of kid with his companions in misfortune. 

When about to resume our journey, we saw several Moors 
approaching to us armed with lances. Our people instantly 
seized their arms, and put themselves in readiness to defend 
us, in case of an attack. Two officers, followed by several 
soldiers and sailors, with our interpreter, advanced to discover 
their intentions. They instantly returned Avilh the Moqrs, 
who said, that, far from wishing to do us harm, they had 
come to offer us their assistance, and to conduct us to Sene- 
gal. This offer being accepted of with gratitude by all of us, 
the Moors, of whom we had been so afraid, became our pro- 
tectors and friends, verifying the old proverb, there are good 
people every inhere! As the camp of the Moors was at som,e 
considerable distance from where we were, we set off alto- 
gether to reach it before night. After having walked about 
two leagues through the burning sands, we found ourselves 
again upon the shore. Toward night our conductors made 
ms strike again into the interior, saying we were very near 
their camp, which is called, in their language, Berkelet. But 
the short distance of the Moors was found very long by the 
females and the children, on account of the downs of sand 
which we had to ascend and descend every instant, also of 
prickly shrubs over which we were frequently obliged to walk. 
Those who were barefooted felt most severely at this time 
the want of their shoes. I m.yself lost among the bushes va- 
rious shreds of my dress, and my feet and legs were all 
streaming with blood. At length, after two long hours of 

23 



326 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

walking and suffering, we arrived at the camp of that tribe to 
which belonged our Arab conductors. We had scarcely got 
into the camp, when the dogs, the children, and the Moorish 
women began to annoy us. Some of them threw sand in 
our eyes, others amused themselves by snatching at our hair, 
on pretence of wishing to examine it. This pinched us, that 
spit upon us ; the dogs bit our legs, whilst the old harpies cut 
the buttons from the officers' coats, or endeavored to take 
away the lace. Our conductors, however, had pity on us, 
and chased away the dogs and the curious crowd, who had 
already made us suffer as much as the thorns which had torn 
our feet. The chiefs of the camp, our guides, and some 
good women, at last set about getting us some supper. Water 
in abundance was given us without payment, and they sold 
us fish dried in the sun, and some bowlfuls of sour milk, all at 
a reasonable price. 

We found a Moor in the camp who had previously known 
my father in Senegal, and who spoke a little French. As 
soon as he recognized him, he cried, " Tiens toi, Picard ! ni a 
pas connaitre moi Amet ? (Hark ye, Picard, know you not 
Amet ?) We were all struck with astonishment at these French 
words coming from the mouth of a Moor. My father recol- 
lected having employed, long ago, a young goldsmith at Sene- 
gal, and discovering the Moor Amet to be the same person, 
shook him by the hand. After that good fellow had been 
made acquainted with our shipwreck, and to what extremities 
our unfortunate family had been reduced, he could not refrain 
from tears ; and this was perhaps the first time a Mussulman 
had ever wept over the misfortunes of a Christian! Amet 
was not satisfied with deploring our hard fate ; he was desi- 
rous of proving that he was generous and humane, and in- 
stantly distributed among us a large quantity of milk and wa- 
ter, free of any charge. He also raised for our fimily a large 
tent of the skins of camels, cattle and sheep, because his re- 
ligion would not allow him to lodge with Christians under the 
same roof The place appeared very dark, and the obscurity 
made us uneasy. Amet and our conductors lighted a large 
fire to quiet us ; and at last bidding us good night, and retir- 
ing to his tent, said: "Sleep iii peace; the God of the 
Christians is also the God of the Mussulmans." 

V/e had resolved to quit this truly hospitable place early 
in the morning, but, during the night, some people, who had 
probably too much money, imagined the Moors had taken us 
to their camp to plunder us. They communicated their fears 



SaiPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 327 

to others, and pretending- that the Moors, who walked up and 
down among their flocks, and cried from time to time, to keep 
away the ferocious beasts, had already given the signal for 
pursuing and murdering us. Instantly a general panic seized 
all our people, and they wished to set off forthwith. My fa- 
ther, although he knew well the perfidy of the inhabitants of 
the Desert, endeavored to assure them we had nothing to fear, 
because the Arabs were too much frightened by the people 
of Senegal, who would not fail to avenge us if we were in- 
sulted; but nothing could quiet their apprehensions, and we 
had to take the route during the middle of the night. The 
Moors being soon acquainted with our fears, made us all kinds 
of protestations ; and seeing we persisted in quitting the camp, 
offered us asses to carry us as far as the Senegal. These beasts 
of burden were hired at the rate of twelve francs a day, for 
each head, and we took our departure under the guidance of 
those Moors who had before conducted us to the camp. 
Amet's wife being unwell, he could not accompany us, but re- 
commended us strongly to our guides. My father was able to 
hire only two asses for the whole of our family ; and as it 
was numerous, my sister Caroline, my cousin, and myself, 
were obliged to crawl along, whilst my unfortunate father fol- 
lowed in the suite of the caravan, which in truth went much 
quicker than we did. 

A short distance from the camp, the brave and compassion- 
ate Captain Begnere, seeing we still walked, obliged us to ac- 
cept of the ass he had hired for himself, saying he would not 
ride when young ladies, exhausted with fatigue, followed on 
foot. The king afterward honorably recompensed this wor- 
thy officer, who ceased not to regard our unfortunate family 
with a care and attention I shall never forget. 

During the remainder of the night we traveled in a man- 
ner sufficiently agreeable, mounting alternately the ass of 
Captain Begnere. 

At five in the morning of the 11th of July we regained the 
sea-shore. Our asses, fatigued with the long journey among 
the sands, ran instantly and lay down among the breakers, in 
spite of our utmost exertions to prevent them. This caused 
several of us to take a bath we wished not: I was myself 
held under one of the asses in the water, and had great diffi- 
culty in saving one of my young brothers who was floating 
away. But, in the end, as this incident had no unfortunate is- 
sue, we laughed, and continued our route, some on foot, and 
some on the capricious asses. Toward ten o'clock, perceiv- 



828 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

ing a ship out at sea, we attached a white handkerchief to the 
muzzle of a gun, waving it in the air, and soon had the satis- 
faction of seeing it was noticed. The ship having approach- 
ed sufficiently near the coast, the Moors who were with us 
threw themselves into the sea and swam to it. It must be 
said we had wrongfully supposed that these people had a de- 
sign against us, for their devotion could not appear greater 
than when five of them darted through the waves to endeavor 
to communicate between us and the ship ; notwithstanding, it 
was still a good quarter of a league distant from where we 
stood on the beach. In about half an hour we saw these good 
Moors returning, making float before them three small bar- 
rels. Arrived on shore, one of them gave a letter to M. Es- 
piau from M. Parnajon. This gentleman was the captain of 
the Argus brig, sent to seek after the raft, and to give us pro- 
visions. This letter announced a small barrel of biscuit, a 
tierce of wine, a half tierce of brandy, and a Dutch cheese. 
O fortunate event ! We were very desirous of testifying our 
gratitude to the generous commander of the brig, but he in- 
stantly set out and left us. We staved the barrels which held 
our small stock of provisions, and made a distribution. Each 
of us had a biscuit, about a glass of wine, a half glass of 
brandy, and a small morsel of cheese. Each drank his al- 
lowance of wine at one gulp; the brandy was not even despis- 
ed by the ladies. I however preferred quantity to quality, and 
exchanged my ration of brandy for that of wine. To de- 
scribe our joy, whilst taking this repast, is impossible. Ex- 
posed to the fierce rays of a vertical sun; exhausted by a long 
train of suffering ; deprived for a long while of the use of any 
kind of spiritous liquors ; when our portions of water, wine, 
and brandy mingled in our stomachs, we became like insane 
people. Life, which had lately been a great burden, now be- 
came precious to us. Foreheads, lowering and sulky, began to 
unwrinkle ; enemies became most brotherly ; the avaricious 
endeavored to forget their selfishness and cupidity ; the chil- 
dren smiled for the first time since our shipwreck ; in a word, 
every one seemed to be born again from a condition melancho- 
ly and dejected. I even believe the sailors sung the praises of 
their mistresses. 

This journey was the most fortunate for us. Some short 
while afte^ our delicious meal, we saw several Moors ap- 
proaching, who brought milk and butter, so that we had re- 
freshments in abundance. It is true we paid a little dear for 
them ; a glass of milk cost not less than three francs. Af- 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 329 

ter reposing about three hours, our caravan proceeded on its 
route. 

About six in the evening, my father, finding himself ex- 
tremely fatigued, wished to rest himself. We allowed the 
caravan to move on, whilst my step-mother and myself re- 
mained near him, and the rest of the family followed with 
their asses. We all three fell asleep. When we awoke we 
were astonished at not seeing our companions. The sun was 
sinking in the west. We saw several Moors approaching us, 
mounted on camels ; and my father reproached himself for 
having slept so long. Their appearance gave us great un- 
easiness, and we wished much to escape from them, but my 
step-mother and myself fell quite exhausted. The Moors, with 
long beards, having come quite close to us, one of them alight- 
ed and addressed us in the following words : "Be comforted, 
ladies ; under the costume of an Arab you see an Englishman, 
who is desirous of serving j^ou. Having heard at Senegal 
that Frenchmen were thrown ashore on these deserts, I thought 
my presence might be of some service to them, as I was ac- 
quainted with several of the princes of this arid country." 
These noble words from the mouth of a man we had at first 
taken to be a Moor, instantly quieted our fears. Recovering 
from our fright, we rose and expressed to the philanthropic 
Englishman the gratitude we felt. Mr. Garnet,* the name of 
the generous Briton, told us that our caravan, Vv^hich he had 
met, waited for us at about the distance of two leagues. He 
then gave us some biscuit, which we ate ; and we then set off 
together to join our companions. Mr. Garnet wished us to 
mount his camels, but my step-mother and myself, being un- 
able to persuade ourselves we could sit securely on their hairy 
haunches; continued to walk on the moist sand, whilst my fa- 
ther, Mr. Garnet, and the Moors who accompanied him, pro- 
ceeded on the camels. We soon reached a little river, called, 
in the country, Marigot des Maringoins. We wished to drink 

* In the work of MM. Correard and Savigny, this gentleman is 
made mention of in substance as follows: "On the evening of the 
11th they met with more of the natives, and an Irishman, captain of 
a merchantman, who, of his own accord, had left St. Louis with the 
intention of assisting the sufferers. He spoke the language of the coun- 
try, and was dressed in the Moorish costume. We are sorry we cannot 
recollect the name of this foreign officer, which we would have a real 
pleasure in publishing ; but, since time has effaced it from our memo- 
ries, we will at least publish his zeal and his noble efforts, titles well 
worthy the gratitude of every feeling heait," 

28* 



380 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDtTiJA. 

of it, but found it as salt as the sea. Mr. Garnet desired us to 
have patience and we should find some at the place where 
our caravan waited. We forded that river knee-deep. At last, 
having walked about an hour, we rejoined our companions, 
who had found several wells of fresh water. It was resolved 
to pass the night in this place, which seemed less arid than 
any we saw near us. The soldiers being requested to go and 
seek wood to light a fire for the purpose of frightening the fe- 
rocious beasts which were heard roaring around us, refused ; 
but Mr. Garnet assured us that the Moors Avho were with 
him knew well how to keep all such intruders from our 
camp. In truth, during the whole of the night, these good 
Arabs promenaded round our caravan, uttering cries at inter- 
vals like those which we had heard in the camp of the gene- 
rous Amet. 

We passed a very good night, and at four in the morning 
continued our route along the shore. Mr. Garnet left us to 
endeavor to procure some provisions. Till then our asses 
had been quite docile ; but, annoyed with their riders so long 
upon their backs, they refused to go forward. A fit took pos- 
session of them, and all at the same instant threw their riders 
on the ground or among the bushes. The Moors, however, 
who accompanied us, assisted to catch our capricious ani- 
mals, who had nearl}^ scampered off, and replaced us on the 
hard backs of these head-strong creatures. At noon, the heat 
became so violent that even the Moors themselves bore it 
with difficulty. We then determined on finding some shade 
behind the high mounds of sand Avhich appeared in the inte- 
rior ; but how were we to reach them ? The sands could not 
be hotter. We had been obliged to leave our asses on the 
shore, for they would neither advance nor recede. The great- 
er part of us had neither shoes nor hats; notwithstanding, we 
were obliged to go forward almost a long league to find a lit- 
tle shade. The heat reflected by the sands of the desert could 
be compared to nothing but the mouth of an oven at the mo- 
ment of drawing out the bread; nevertheless, we endured it, 
but not without cursing those who had been the occasion of 
all our misfortunes. Arrived behind the heights for which 
we searched, we stretched ourselves under the mimosa gum- 
tree (the acacia of the Desert:) several broke branches from 
the asclepias (swallow-wort) and made themselves a shade. 
But, whether from want of air, or the heat of the ground 
on which we Avere seated, we were nearly all suffocated. 
I thought my last hour was come. Already my eyes 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 331 

saw nothrng- but a dark cloud, when a person by the name of 
Borner, who was to have been a smith at Senegal, gave me a 
boot containing some muddy water, which he had the pre- 
caution to keep. I seized the elastic vase, and hastened to 
swallow the liquid in large draughts. One of my compa- 
nions equally tormented with thirst, envious of the pivasure I 
seemed to feel, and which I felt effectually, drew the foot from 
the boot and seized it in his turn, but it availed him nothing, 
the water which remained was so disgusting that he could 
not drink it, and spilled it on the ground. Captain Begnere, 
Avho was present, judging by the water which fell, how loath- 
some must that have been which I had drank, offered me some 
crumbs of biscuit which he had kept most carefully in his 
pocket. I chevv'ed that mixture of bread, dust, and tobacco, 
but I could not swallow it, and gave it, all masticated, to one 
of my younger brothers, who had fallen from inanition. 

We were about to quit this furnace, when we saw our gene- 
rous Englishman approaching, v/ho brought us provisions. At 
this sight I felt my strength revive, ar.d ceased to desire death, 
v^^hich I had before called on, to release me from my suffer- 
ings. Several Moors accompanied Mr. Garnet, and every one 
was loaded. On their arrival we had Avater, with rice and 
dried fish in abundance. Every one drank his allowance of 
water, but had not ability to eat, although the rice was excel- 
lent. We were all anxious to return to the sea, that we might 
bathe ourselves, and the caravan put itself on the road to the 
breakers of Sahara. After an hour's march of great suffering, 
we regained the shore, as well as our asses, who Vv^ere lying 
in the water. We rushed among the waves, and after a bath 
of half an hour, we reposed ourselves upon the beach. My 
cousin and I went to stretch ourselves upon a small rising 
ground, where we were shaded with some old clothes which 
we had with us. My cousin was cJad in an ofiicer's uniform, 
the lace of which strongly attracted the eyes of Mr. Garnet's 
Moors. Scarcely had we lain down, when one of them, 
thinking we were asleep, came to endeavor to steal it ; but 
seeing we were awake, contented himself by looking at us 
very steadfastly. 

Such is the slight incident which it had pleased MM. Gorre- 
ard and Savigny to relate, in their account of the shipwreck 
of the Medusa, in a totally different manner. Believing doubt- 
less to make it more interesting or amusing, they say that 
one of the Moors who were our guides, either through curio- 
sity or a stronger sentiment, approached Miss Picard whilst 



332 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

asleep, and, after having examined her form, raised the cover- 
ing- which concealed her bosom, gazing awhile like one aston- 
ished, at length dreAv near, but durst not touch her. Then, 
after having looked a long while, he replaced the covering, 
and, returning to his companions, related in a joyous manner 
what he had seen. Several Frenchmen having observed the 
proceedings of the Moor, told M. Picard, who, after the obli- 
ging offers of the officers, decided in clothing the rest of the 
ladies in the military dress, on purpose to prevent their being 
annoyed by the attentions of the inhabitants of the desert. 
Mighty well ! I beg pardon of MM. Correard and Savigny, 
but there is not one word of tiTith in all this. How could 
these gentlemen see from the raft, that which passed during 
the 12th of July, on the shores of the desert of Sahara? 
And supposing that this was reported to them by some one of 
our caravan, and inserted in their work, which contains va- 
rious inaccuracies, I have to inform them they have been de- 
ceived. 

About three in the morning, a north-west wind having 
sprung up, and a little refreshed us, our caravan continued its 
route, our generous Englishman again taking the task of 
procuring us provisions. At four o'clock the sky became 
overcast, and we heard thunder in the distance. We all ex- 
pected a great tempest, which happily did not take place. 
Near seven we reached the spot where we were to wait for 
Mr. Garnet, who came to us with a bullock he had purchased. 
Then quitting the shore, we went into the interior to seek a 
place to cook our supper. We fixed our camp beside a small 
wood of acacias, near to v/hich were several wells or cisterns 
of fresh water. Our ox was instantly killed, skinned, cut to 
pieces, and distributed. A large fire was kindled, and each 
was occupied in dressing his meal. At this time 1 caught a 
smart fever; notwithstanding, I could not help laughing at see- 
ing every one seated round a large fire holding his piece of 
beef on the point of a bayonet, a sabre, or some sharp-point- 
ed stick. The flickering of the flames on the different faces, 
sunburned and covered with long beards, rendered more visi- 
ble by the darkness of the night, joined to the noise of the 
waves and the roaring of ferocious beasts which we heard in 
the distance, presented a spectacle at once laughable and im- 
posing. If a David or a Girodet had seen us, said I to my- 
self, we would soon have been represented on canvass, in the 
galleries of the Louvre, as real cannibals ; and the Parisian 
youth, who know not what pleasure it is to devour a handful 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 333 

of wild purslain, to drink muddy water from a boot, to eat a 
roast cooked in smoke — who know not, in a word, how com- 
fortable it is to have it in one's power to satisfy one's appetite 
when hungry, in the burning deserts of Africa, would never 
have believed that among these half savages were several 
born on the banks of the Seine. 

Whilst these thoughts were passing across my mind, sleep 
overpowered my senses. Being awaked in the middle of the 
night, I found my portion of beef in the shoes which an old 
sailor had lent me for walking among the thorns. Although 
it was a little burned, and smelled strongly of the dish in 
which it was contained, I ate a good part of it, and gave the 
rest to my friend the sailor. That seaman, seeing I was ill, 
offered to exchange my meat for some which he had the ad- 
dress to boil in a small tin box. I prayed him to give me a 
little Avater, if he had any; and he instantly went and fetched 
some in his hat. My thirst was so great that I drank it out 
of this nasty cap without the slightest repugnance. 

A short while after, every one awoke, and again took the 
route for Senegal at an early hour. Toward ^even in the 
morning, having fallen a little behind the caravan, I saw se- 
veral Moors coming toward me, armed with lances. A young 
sailor boy, aged about twelve years, who sometimes walked 
with me, stopped and cried in great terror, " Ah ! my God, 
lady, see, the Moors are coming, and the caravan is already 
a great way before us ; if they should carry us away?" I 
told him to fear nothing, although I was really more fright- 
ened than he was. These Arabs of the desert soon came up 
to us. One of them advanced with a threatening air, and 
stopping my ass, addressed to me, in his barbarous language, 
some words which he pronounced with menacing gestures. 
My little ship-boy having made his escape, I began to weep ; 
for the Moor always prevented my ass from going forward, 
who was, perhaps, as well contented at resting a little. Flow- 
ever, from the gestures which he made, I supposed he wished 
to know whither I was going, and I cried as loud as I could, 
*'Ndar! Ndar T (Senegal! Senegal!) the only African 
words I then knew. At this the Moor let go the bridle of my 
ass, and also assisted me by making him feel the full weight 
of the pole of his lance, and then ran off to his companions, 
who were roaring and laughing. I was well content at being 
freed from my fears; and what with the word ndar, and the 
famous thump of his spear, which was doubtless intended for 
my ass, I soon rejoined the caravan. I told my parents of my 



334 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

adventure, who were ignorant of what had detained me ; they 
reprimanded me as they ought, and 1 promised faithfully 
never to quit them again. 

At nine o'clock we met upon the shore a large flock herded 
by young Moors. These shepherds sold us milk, and one of 
them offered to lend my father an ass for a knife which he 
had seen him take from his pocket. My father having ac- 
cepted the proposal, the Moor left his companions to accom- 
pany us as far as the river Senegal, from which we were yet 
two good leagues. 

There happened a circumstance in th& forenoon which had, 
like to have proved troublesome, but it turned out pleasantly. 
The steersman of the Medusa was sleeping upon the sand, 
when a Moor found means to steal his sabre. The French- 
man awoke, and as soon as he saw the thief escaping with 
his booty, rose and pursued him with horrid oaths. The 
Arab, seeing himself followed by a furious European, return- 
ed, fell upon his knees, and laid at the feet of the steersman 
the sabre which he had stolen ; who, in his turn, touched with 
this mark of confidence or repentance, voluntarily gave it to 
him to keep. During this scene we frequently stopped tg 
see how it would terminate, whilst the caravan continued its 
route. Suddenly we left the shore. Our companions appear- 
ing quite transported with joy, some of us ran forward, and 
having gained a slight rising ground, discovered the Senegal 
at no great distance from them. We hastened our march, and 
for the first time since our shipwreck, a smiling picture pre- 
sented itself to our view. The trees always green, with 
which that noble river is shaded, the humming birds, the red 
birds, the paroquets, the promerops, &c. who flitted among 
the long yielding branches, caused in us emotions difficult 
to express. We could not satiate our eyes with gazing on 
the beauties of this place, verdure being so enchanting to the 
sight, especially after having traveled through the desert. 
Before reaching the river, we had to descend a little hill co- 
vered with thorny bushes. My ass stumbling, threw me into 
the midst of one, and I tore myself in several places : but was 
easily consoled, when I at length found myself on the banks 
of a river of fresh water. Every one having quenched his 
thirst, we stretched ourselves under the shade of a small 
grove, whilst the beneficent Mr. Garnet and two of our offi- 
cers set forward to Senegal, to announce our arrival, and to 
get us boats. In the meanwhile some took a little repose, 
and others were engaged in dressing the wounds with which 
they were covered. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 335 

At two in the afternoon we saw a small boat beating against 
the current of the stream with oars. It soon reached the spot 
where we were. Two Europeans landed, saluted our cara- 
van, and inquired for my father. One of them said he came 
on the part of MM. Artigue and Laboure, inhabitants of Se- 
negal, to offer assistance to the boats which were getting rea- 
dy for our family; the other added, that he had not waited for 
us at the island of St. Louis, knowing too well what would be 
our need. We were desirous of thanking them, but they in- 
stantly ran off to the boat and brought us provisions which 
my father's old friends had sent him. They placed before us 
large baskets containing several loaves, cheese, a bottle of Ma- 
deira, a bottle of filtered water, and dresses for my father. 
Every one, who, during our journey, had taken any interest 
in our unfortunate family, and especially the brave Captain 
Begnere, had a share of our provisions. We experienced a 
real satisfaction in partaking with them, and giving them this 
small mark of our gratitude. 

A young aspirant of marine, who had refused us a glass of 
water in the desert, pressed with hunger, begged of us some 
bread; he got it, also a small glass of Madeira. 

It was four o'clock before the boats of the government ar- 
rived, and we all embarked. Biscuit and wine were found in 
aach of them, and all were refreshed. 

That in which our family were was commanded by M. Ar- 
tigue, captain of the port, and one of those who had sent us 
provisions. My father and he embraced as two old friends 
who had not seen one another for eight years, and congratula- 
ted themselves that they had been permitted to meet once 
more before they died. We had already made a league upon 
the river, when a young navy clerk (M. Mollien) was sudden- 
ly taken ill. We put him ashore, and left him to the care of a 
negro, to conduct him to Senegal when he should recover. 

Immediately the town of St. Louis presented itself to our 
view. At the distance its appearance is fine; but in propor- 
tion as it is approached the illusion vanishes, and it looks as 
it iieally is — dirty, very ill built, poor, and filled with straw huts 
black with smoke. At six in the evening we arrived at the 
port of St. Louis. It would be in vain for me to paint the va- 
rious emotions of my mind at that delicious moment. I am 
bold to saj^ all the colony, if wq except MM. Schmaltz and 
Lachaumareys, were at the port to receive us from our boats. 
M. Artigue going on shore first to acquaint the English go- 
vernor of our arrival, met him comino^ to us on horeseback, 



336 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

followed by our generous conductor, Mr. Garnet, and several 
superior officers. We went on shore carrying our brothers 
and sisters in our arms. My father presented us to the Eng- 
lish governor, who had alighted : he appeared to be sensibly 
affected with our misfortunes, the females and children chiefly 
exciting his commiseration. And the native inhabitants and 
Europeans tenderly shook the hands of the unfortunate peo- 
ple ; the negro slaves even seemed to deplore our disastrous 
fate. 

The governor placed the most sickly of our companions in 
an hospital : various inhabitants of the colony received others 
in their houses ; M. Artigue obligingly took charge of our 
family. Arriving at his house, we there found his wife, two 
iadies, and an English lady, who begged to be allowed to as- 
sist us. Taking my sister Caroline and myself, she conduct- 
ed us to her house, and presented us to her husband, who re- 
ceived us in the most a.fFable manner ; after which she led us 
to her dressing-room, where we were combed, cleaned and 
dressed by the dom^estic negresses, and were most obligingl}'- 
furnished with linen from her own wardrobe, the whiteness 
of which Vv^as strongly contrasted with our sable countenances. 
In the midst of my misfortunes my soul had preserved all its 
strength ; but this sudden change of situation affected me so 
much that I thought my intellectual faculties were forsaking 
me. When I had a little recovered from my faintness, our 
generous hostess conducted us to the saloon, where we found 
her husband and several English officers sitting at table. 
These gentlemen invited us to partake of their repast ; but we 
took nothing but tea and some pastry. Among these English 
was a yeung Frenchman, who, speaking sufficiently well their 
language, served to interpret between us. Inviting us to re- 
cite to them the story of our shipwreck and all our misfor- 
tunes, which we did in few words, they were astonished how 
females and children had been able to endure so much fa- 
tigue and misery. We were so confused by our agitation 
that we scarcely heard the questions which were put t-o us, 
having constantly before our eyes the foaming waves and the 
immense tract of' sand over which we had passed. As they 
saw we had need of repose, they all retired, and our worthy 
Englishman put us to bed, where we were not long before 
we fell into a profound sleep. 

At nine o'clock next morning after our arrival we felt quite 
free from our fatigues. We arose, and, as soon as we were 
dressed went to thank our generous host and hostess, Mr. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 337 

and Mrs. Kingsley ; then went to see our parents ; and after- 
ward returned to our benefactors, who were waitmg break- 
fast for us. Our conversation was frequently interrupted dur- 
ing- our meals, as they were but little acquainted with the 
French language, and we knew nothing of English. After 
breakfast we learned that the English governor had not receiv- 
ed any orders for giving up the colony to the French; and 
until that took place the whole of the French expedition would 
be obliged to go to the peninsula of Cape Verd, distant from 
Senegal about fifty leagues. This information distressed us 
much, but our affliction was at its height when my father 
came and told that the French governor, M. Schmaltz, had 
ordered him to quit Senegal with all his family, and go and 
stay at Cape. Verd until ferther orders. Mr. and Mrs. Kings- 
ley, sensibly affected with the misfortunes we had already 
experienced, assured us they would not part with us, and that 
they would endeavor to obtain the permission of the English 
governor. In fact, on the following day, that gentleman in- 
formed us by his aid-de camp that, having seen the wretched 
condition in which our family were, he had allowed us to re- 
main at Senegal, and that he had permitted all the officers of 
the Medusa to stay. This renewed instance of the benevo- 
lence of the English governor tranquilized us. We remained 
comfortably at the house of our benefactors; but a great part 
of our unhappy companions in misfortune, fearing, if they stay- 
ed at Senegal, they would disobey the French governor, set 
off for Cape Yerd, where hunger and death awaited them. 
Our family lived nearly twenty days with our benevolent 
hosts, MM. Artigue and Kingsl.y; but my father, fearing we 
were too great abui'den for the extraordinary expenses which 
they made each day for us, hued a small apartment, and on 
the first of August we took possession of it, to the great re- 
gret of our generous friends, who wished us to stay with them 
till the surrc-nder of the colony. When we were settled in 
our new habitation, my father sent a petition to M. Schmaltz, 
for the purpose of obtaining provisions from the general ma- 
gazine of the French administration; but, angry with the re- 
ception we had met with from the English, he replied he could 
not give him any thing. Nevertheless, S3veral French offi- 
cers, who, like ourselves, had remained at Senegal, each day 
received their rations, or, which was better, were admitto^l 

to the table of M. D , with v<'hom also the governor, his 

family and staff, messed. It may be remarked here, that this 

same M. D advanced to the governor of the forts, m 

29 



338 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

provisions and money, to the amount of 50,000 francs ; and 
it was the general opinion, found means to charge cent, per 
cent, on those advances, as a small perquisite to himself; 
moreover, he received, at the request of the governor, the de- 
coration of the Legion of Honor. But I return to that which 
concerns myself. My father being unable to obtain any thing 
either from the governor or M. D , was obliged to bor- 
row money to enable us to subsist. We were reduced to feed 
on negro's food, for our means would not allow us to purchase 
bread at 15 sous the pound, and wine at 3 francs the bottle. 
However, we were content, and perfectly resigned to our 
fate; when an English officer, Major Peddie, came and visit- 
ed us precisely at the moment we were at dinner. That gen- 
tleman, astonished at seeing an officer of the French adminis- 
tration dining upon a dish of Kouskou, said to my father : 
" How, Mr. Picard ! you being in the employment of your 
government, and living so meanly?" Mortified that a stran- 
ger should have seen his misery, my father felt his tears flow- 
ing : but, instantly collecting himself, said in a calm yet firm 
tone, " Know, sir, that I blush not for my poverty, and that 
you have Avronged me by upbraiding me. It is true I have 
not food like the other Europeans in the colony ; but I do not 
consider myself the more unfortunate. I have requested the 
man who represents my sovereign in this country, to give me 
the rations to which I have a right ; but he has had the inhu- 
manity to refuse. But v/hat of that? I know how to submit, 
and my family also." Major Peddie, at these words, touched 
with our misfortunes, and vexed, doubtless, at having mortified 
us, though that certainly was not his intention, bade us good 
bye, and retired. Early on the morning of the next day we 
received a visit from M. Dubois, mayor of the town of St. 
Louis, in Senegal. That good and virtuous magistrate told 
us he had come, at the instance of the English governor, to 
offer us assistance; viz. an officer's allowance, which con- 
sisted of bread, wine, meat, sugar, coffee, &c. As my father 
had not been able to procure any thing from governor 
Sclnnaitz, he thought it his duty to accept that which the 
English governor had so generously offered. We thanked 
M. Dubois ; and in a few hours afterward we had plenty of 
provisions sent to us. 

If my father had made himself some enemies amiong the 
authors of the shipwreck of the Medusa and the abandoning 
the raft, he was recompensed by real good friends among 
the old inhabitants of Senegal, who, with himself, deplored 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 339 

the fate of tlie unfortunate beings who were left in the midst 
of the ocean. Among the numerous friends my father had, I 
ought particularly to mention the families of Pellegrin, Dar- 
nedlle, Lemotte, Dubois, Artigue, Feuilletaine, Laboure, Va- 
lentin, Debonnet, Waterman, &c. ; and in truth all the inha- 
bitants of Senegal, if we except one family, were disposed to 
befriend us. Even the poor negroes of the interior, after hear- 
ing of our misfortunes, came and offered us a small share of 
their crop. Some gave us beans, others brought us milk, 
eggs, &c. ; in a word, every one offered us some assistance 
after they heard to what misery our shipwreck had reduced us. 

About a month after our arrival at Senegal we went to look 
at the islands of Babaguey and Safal, situated about two 
leagues from the town of St. Louis. The first of these islands 
had been given to M. Artigue, who had cultivated it; the 
other had been given to my father in 1807, and he had plant- 
ed in it about one hundred thousand cotton plants, when the 
capture of Senegal by the English in 1809, obliged him to 
abandon his project and return to France. 

Those who have seen the countries of Europe, and admir- 
ed the fine soil of France, need not expect to enjoy the same 
scene at Senegal. Every where nature shows a savage and 
arid aspect ; every where the dregs of a desert and parched 
soil presents itself to the view; and it is only by care and un- 
remitting toil it can be made to produce any thing. All the 
cotton which my father had planted in the island of Safal had 
been devoured by the cattle during his absence ; he found not 
a plant. He then proposed to begin again his first operations. 
After having walked round the island of Safal, we went to 
dine with M. Artigue in the island of Babaguey, where we 
spent the remainder of the day, and in the evening returned 
to the town of Senegal. Some days after this jaunt, my fa- 
ther endeavored to find whether the plants with which the 
island was covered would be useful in making potash. He 
arranged with a person in Senegal to hire for him some ne- 
groes, and a canoe to gather the ashes of the plants after they 
were burned. A covered gallery which we had in the small 
house we inhabited, seemed convenient to hold the apparatus 
of our manufacture. Here we placed our coppers. We then 
commenced the making of potash, waiting for the surrender 
of the colony. The first essay we made gave us hopes. Our 
ashes produced a potash of fine color, and we did not doubt 
of succeeding when we should have sent a sample of it to 
France, We made about four barrels, and my father sent a 



340 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

box of it to a friend at Paris to analyze. Whilst waiting the 
reply of the chemist, he hired three negroes to begin the cul- 
tivation of the island of Safal. He went himself to direct their 
operations, but he fell ill of fatigue. Fortunately his illness 
was not of long continuance, and in the month of December 
he was perfectly recovered. At this period an English expe- 
dition went from Senegal into the interior of Africa, com- 
manded by Major Peddie, the gentleman who had given so 
great assistance to the unfortunates of the Medusa. That 
worthy philanthropic Englishman died soon after his depar- 
ture; we sincerely lamented him. 

On the first of January, 1817, the colony of Senegal was 
surrendered to the French. The English left it: some for 
Great Britain, others for Sierra Leone and the Cape of Good 
Hope ; and France entered into all her possessions on the 
west coast of Africa. We remained yet a month in our first 
house ; at last we procured one much larger. My father then 
commenced his functions of attorney, and we at last began 
to receive provisions from the French government. The 
hbuise in which we lived was very large ; but the employment 
which my father followed was very incompatible with the 
tranquillity we desired. To remove us from the noise and 
tumultuous conversations of the people who perpetually came 
to the office, we had a small hut of reeds constructed for us 
in the midst of our garden, which was very large. Here 
my sister, my cousin, and myself, passed the greater part of 
the day. From that time we began to see a little of the 
world, and to return unavoidable visits. Every Sunday the 
family went to the island of Safal, where we very agreeably 
spent the day ; for that day seemed as short in the country as 
the six other days in the week were long and listless in Sene- 
gal. That country was so little calculated for people of our 
age, that we continually teased our father to return with us to 
France. But as he had great expectations from the manu- 
facture of potash, he made us stay, as we would be of great 
service to him in the end, for superintending the works of that 
manufacture. 

It is now time to give a brief description of Senegal and its 
environs, to enable the reader better to appreciate that which 
I have to say in the sequel. 

Travelers who have written about Africa, have given too 
magnificent a picture of that country known by the name of 
Senegal. Apparently, after the fatigues of a long and tedioup 
journey, they have been charmed with the first fresh spo* 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 341 

where they could repose. That first impression has all the 
force of reality to the superficial observer ; but if he remain 
any time, the illusion vanishes and Senegal appears what it 
really is — a parched and barren country, destitute of the most 
necessary vegetables for the nourishment and preservation of 
the health of man. 

The town of St. Louis, which is also called Senegal, be- 
cause it is the head-quarters of the French establishments on 
that coast, is built upon a small island, or a bank of sand, 
formed in the midst of the river Senegal, at about two leagues 
from its mouth. It is two thousand toises in length, and three 
hundred in breadth. The native inhabitants of the country 
call it Ndar, and Ba-Fing, or Black River, the river which 
waters it. The last name corresponds to thut of Niger, v.hich 
ancient geographers have given to that river. 

The population of St. Louis is about ten thousand souls, 
five hundred of whom are Europeans, two thousand negroes 
or free mulattoes, and nearly seven thousand five hundred 
slaves. There are about one hundred and fifty houses in St. 
Louis inhabited by Europeans ; the remainder consists of sim- 
ple squares, or huts of straw, which a slight flame would cause 
to vanish in a moment, as well as all the houses of brick which 
are near them. The streets are spacious, but not paved. The 
greater part are so completely filled with sand, which the winds 
and hurricanes bring from the deserts of Sahara, that it is near- 
ly impossible to walk along them when the winds are blowing. 
That fine and burning sand so impregnates the air that it is in- 
haled and swallowed with the food ; in short, it penetrates eve- 
ry thing. The narrow and little-frequented streets are often 
blocked up. Some of the houses are fine enough; they have 
but one story. Son^e have covered galleries ; but in general 
the roofs are in the oriental fashion, in the form of a terrace. 

The gardens of Senegal, though their plants have been 
much praised, are nevertheless few in number, and in very 
bad condition. The whole of their cultivation is limited to 
some bad cabbages, devoured by the insects, a plot of bitter 
radishes, and two or three beds of salad, withered before it is 
fit for use; but these vegetables, it must be said, are very ex- 
quisite, because there are none better. The governor's gar- 
den, however, is stocked with various plants, such as cucum- 
bers, melons, carrots, Indian pinks, some plants of barren 
ananas, and some marigolds. There are also in the garden 
three young date trees, a small vine arbor, and some young 
American and Indian plants. But these do not thrive, as much 

29* 



342 STKIP WRECK OF TITE MEDUSA, 

on account of the poverty of the soil as the hot winds of the 
Desert, which wither them. Some, nevertheless, are vigo- 
rous, from being sheltered by walls and frequently watered. 
Five or six trees, somewhat bush)^ (island fig-trees,) are 
planted here and there in the streets, where may be seen 
also four or five baobabs, the leaves of which are devoured 
by the negroes before !hey are fully blown, and a palm of 
the species of Ronn, which serves as a signal-post for ships 
at sea. 

A league and a half from the island of St. Louis is situated 
the island of Babaguey. It is almost entirely cultivated^ bat 
the soil is so arid that it will scarcely grow any thing but 
cotton. There is a military station on this island, and a sig- 
nal-post, MM. Artigue and Gansfort each have a small 
dwelling here. The house, built in the European manner, 
which is there seen, serves to hold the soldiers and to accom- 
modate the officers of Senegal on their parties of pleasure. 

The island of Safal is situated to the east of Babaguey, and 
is separated from it by an arm of the sea. This was the asylum 
which we chose in the end to withdrav^- from misery, as will 
be seen in the sequel. 

To the east of the island of Safal is situated the large isl- 
and of Bokos, the fertility of which is very superior to the 
three preceding. Here are seen large fields of millet, maize, 
cotton and indigo, of the best quality. The negroes have es- 
tablished large villages here, the inhabitants of which live in 
happy ease- 
To the north of these islands, and to the east of Senegal, is 
the island of Sor, where resides a kind of black prince, called 
by the French, Jean Bart. The general aspect of this island 
is arid, but there are places susceptible of being made into 
large plantations. M. Valentin, merchant at St. Louis, has 
already planted several thousand feet of cotton, which is in a 
thriving condition. But that island being very much exposed 
to the incursions of the Moors of the desert, it would perhaps 
be imprudent to live in it. 

A multitude of other islands, formed by the encroachments 
of the riyer upon the main land, border on those of which I 
have already spokcii, several leagues distant to the north and 
east. The}' are principally covered with marshes, which it 
would be difficult to drain. In these isLnds grows the patri- 
arch of vegetables described by the celebrated Adanson, un- 
der the name of Baobab, (calibash tree,) the circumference 
of which is often found to be above one hundred feet. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 343 

Several other islands, more or less extended than the pre- 
ceding, rise above the river near to St. Louis, as far as Po- 
dor; the greater part of which are not inhabited, although 
their soil is as fertile as those near Senegal. This indiffer- 
ence of the negroes in cultivating these' islands, is explained 
by the influence which the Moors of the Desert of Sahara are 
permitted to have over all the country bordeiing upon Senegal, 
the inhabitants of which they carry off to sell to the slave 
merchants of the island of St. Louis. It is not to be doubted 
that the abolition of the slave trade, and the acquisition which 
the French have made in the countiy of Dagama, will soon 
destroy the preponderance of the barbarians of the Desert 
upon the banks of the Senegal ; and that things being placed 
on their former footino-, the negroes established in the French 
colonies will be permitted to enjoy in peace the fields which 
they have planted. 

Among all the islands, Tolde, which is about two leagues 
in circumference, seems to be the most convenient for a mili- 
tary and agricultural station. 

Near to the village of Dagama, up the river, is the island 
of Morfil, which is not less than fifty leagues from east to 
west, and about eight or len in breadth. The negroes of the 
republic of Peules cultivate great quantities of millet, maize, 
indigo, cotton, and tobacco. The country of the Peules ne- 
groes extends about one hundred and twenty leagues, by 
thirty in breadth. It is a portion of the ancient empire of the 
negro AVolofs, Avhich, in former times, comprehended all 
the countries situated between the rivers Senegal and Gam- 
bia. The countr}?- of the Peules is watered by a branch of 
the Senegal, which thej^ call Morfil ; and, like Lower Egypt, 
owes irs extreme fertility to its annual overflowing. The sur- 
prising abundance of their harvests, which are twice a year, 
makes it considered as the granary of Senegal. Here are 
to be seen immense fields finely cultivated, extensive forests 
producing the rarest and finest kinds of trees, and a prodi- 
gious diversity of plants and shrubs fit for dyeing and medi- 
cine. 

To the east of the Peules is the country of Gklam, or Ka- 
yaga, situated two hundred leagues from the island of St. 
Louis. The French have an establishment in the village of 
Baquel. The eountr}^, from its being a little elevated, enjoys 
at all times a temperature sufficiently cool and healthful. Its 
soil is considered susceptible of every species of cultivation : 
the mines of gold and silver, which border upon it, promise 



344 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

one day to rival the richest in the possession of Spain in the 
New World. This conjecture is sufficiently justified by the 
reports sent to Europe by the agents of the African and In- 
dian Companies, and particularly by M. de Buffon, who, in a 
MS. deposited in the archives of the colonies, thus expresses 
himself: — " It is certain that there are found in the sand of 
the rivers (in the country of Galam) various precious stones, 
such as rubies, topazes, sapphires, and perhaps some diamonds; 
and there are in the mountains veins of gold and silver," 
Two productions, not less estimable perhaps than gold and 
silver, are indigenous to this fine country, and increase in the 
most prodigious manner there ; viz. the Lotus, or bread-tree, 
of the ancients, spoken of by Pliny ; and the Shea, or butter- 
tree, of which the English traveler Mungo Park has given a 
description. 

We w^ere happy enough, at least content, at Senegal, until 
the sickness of my step-mother broke in upon the repose we 
enjoyed. Toward the middle of July, 1817, she fell dange- 
rously ill; all the symptoms of a malignant fever appeared in 
her ; and in spite of all the assistance of art and the care we 
bestowed upon her, she died in the beginning of November of 
the same year. Her loss plunged us all into the deepest af- 
fliction. My father was inconsolable. From that melancholy 
period there was no happiness for our unfortunate family; 
chagrin, sickness, enemies, all seemed to conspire against us. 
A short while after her death my father received a letter from 
the chemist at Paris, informing him that the sam.ple of potash 
which he had sent to France was nothing but marine salt and 
some particles of potash and salt-petre. This news, although 
disagreeable, did not affect us, because Ave had still greater 
misfortunes to deplore. About the end of the year, my father, 
finding his employment would scarcely enable him to support 
his numerous family, turned his attention to commerce, hoping 
thus to do some good, as he intended to send me to look after 
the family, and to take charge of the new improvem.ents in 
the island, which had become very dear to him from the time 
he had deposited in it the mortal remains of his wife and his 
jj'oungest child. For the better success of his project, he 
went into copartnership with a certain personage in the colo- 
ny; but instead of benefiting his speculations, as he had flat- 
tered himself, ^it proved nothing but loss. Beside, he was 
cheated in an unworthy manner by the people in whom he had 
placed his confidence ; and as he was prohibited by the French 
authorities from trafficing, he could not plead his own de- 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 345 

fense, nor get an account of the merchandise of which they 
had defrauded him. Some time after he had sustained this 
loss, he bought a large boat, which he refitted at a considera- 
ble expense. He made the purchase in the hope of being 
able to traffic with the Portugese of the island of Cape Verd, 
but in vain ; the governor of the colony prohibited him from 
all communication with these islands. 

Such were the first misfortunes which we experienced at 
Senegal, and which were only the precursors of still greater 
to come. 

Beside all these, my father had much trouble and vexation 
to endure in the employment he followed. The bad state of 
the affairs of the colony, the poverty of the greater part of 
its inhabitants, occasioned to him all sorts of contradictions 
and disagreements. Debts Avere not paid, the ready-money 
sales did not go ofT; processes multiplied in a frightful man- 
ner; every day creditors came to the office soliciting actions 
against their debtors ; in a word, he was in a state of perpe- 
tual torment, either with his own personal matters, or with 
those of others. However, as he hoped soon to be at the 
head of the agricultural establishment projected at Senegal, 
he supported his difficulties with great courage. 

In the expedition which was to have taken place in 1815, 
the Count Trigant de Beaumont, whom the king had appointed 
governor of Senegal, had promised my father to reinstate him 
in the rank of captain of infantry, which he had held before 
the Revolution, and after that to appoint him to the command 
of the counting-house of Galam, dependent upon the govern- 
ment of Senegal. In 1816, my father again left Paris with 
that hope, for the employment of attorney did not suit his dis- 
position, which was peaceable and honest. He had the first 
gift of the documents concerning the countries where they 
were to found the agricultural establishments in Africa, and 
had proposed plans which were accepted of at the time by 
the President of the Council of State, and by the Minister of 
Marine, for the colonization' of Senegal ; but the unfortunate 
event of 1815 having overturned every thing, another gover- 
nor was nominated for that colony in place of Count Trigant 
de Beaumont. All his plans and proposed projects were in- 
stantly altered for the purpose of giving them the appearance 
of novelty; and my father found himself in a situation to ap- 
ply these lines of Virgil to himself: 

" Hos ego versiculos feci, tulit alter honores." 
These lines I made, another has the praise. 



346 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

At first the new governor (M. Schmaltz) was almost dispos- 
ed to employ my father in the direction of the agricultural 
establishment of Senegal ; but he allowed himself to be cir- 
cumvented by certain people to whom my father had perhaps 
spoken too much truth. He thought no more of him, and 
we were set up as a mark of every kind of obloquy. 

Finding then that he could no longer reckon upon the pro- 
mises which had been made to him on the subject of the plans 
which he had proposed for the colony of Senegal, my father 
turned his attention to the island of Safal, which seemed to 
promise a little fortune for himself and family. He doubled 
the number of his laboring negroes, and appointed a black 
overseer for superintending his work. 

In the beginning of 1818 we believed our cotton crop 
would make us amends for the loss which we had sustained 
at various times. All our plants were in the most thriving 
condition, and promised an abundant harvest. We had also 
sown maize, millet, and some country beans, which looked 
equally well. 

At this period M. Schmaltz was recalled to France. M. 
Flauriau succeeded him ; but the nomination of the new go- 
vernor did not alleviate our condition. Every Sunday my fa- 
ther went to visit his plantation, and to give directions for the 
labors of the week. He had built a large hut for the over- 
seer, upon the top of a little hill, which was almost exactly in 
the centre of the island. It was a little distance from the 
small house which he had raised as a tomb to receive the re- 
mains of his wife and child, whom he had at first buried in a 
place to the south of the cotton field. He surrounded the 
monument of his sorrow with a kind of evergreen bean-tree, 
which soon crept over the grave, and entirely concealed it 
from view. This little grove of verdure, attracted, by the 
freshness of its foliage, a multitude of birds, and served them 
for a retreat. My father never left this place but he was more 
tranquil and less affected with his misfortunes. 

Toward the middle of April, seeing his plants had produ- 
ced less cotton than he had expected, and that the hot wind 
and grasshoppers had made great havoc in his plantations, my 
father decided to leave upon it but one old negro, for superin- 
tending the day-laborers, whom he had reduced to four. In 
the meantime we learned that some merchants, settled at 
Senegal, had written to France against my father. They 
complained that he had not employed sufficient severity against 
some unfortunate persons who had not been able to pay their 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 347 

debts ; and they exclaimed against some miserable specula- 
tions which we had made in the country of Fouta Toro, for 
procuring grain necessary for the support of his negroes. 

The expedition to Galam making preparations for its de- 
parture,* my father, in spite of the insinuations of some mer- 
chants of the colony, was desirous also of trying his fortune. 
He associated himself with a person who was to make the 
voyage; he bought European goods, and refitted his boat, 
which again occasioned him loss. Toward the middle of 
August, 1818, the expedition set off A month after its de- 
parture, my cousin, whom the country had considerably af- 
fected, returned to France, to our great regret. My sister 
and myself found ourselves the only society to enable us to 
support oar sorrows; however, as we hoped to return to 
France in a few years, we overcame our disappointment. We 
had already in some degree recovered our tranquility, in spite 
of all our misfortunes and the solitude in which we lived, when 
my father received a letter from the governor of the colony, 
announcing to him, that, by the decision of the minister of 
marine, a new attorney had come to Senegal, and enjoining 
him at the same time to place the papers of the office in the 
hands of his successor. 

Such a circum.sta-nce could not fail to affect us very much ; 
for the few resources we possessed made us anticipate an 
event almost as horrible as the shipwreck which exposed our 
flimily to all the horrors of want in the boundless deserts of 
Sahara. My father, however, having nothing with which he 
could reproach himself, courageously supported this new mis- 
fortune, hopinof, sooner or later, to be able to unmask those 
who had urged his ruin. He wrote a letter to his excellen- 
cy the Minister of Marine, in which he detailed the affairs of 
the office of the colony, the regularity of the accounts, the 
unfortunate condition to v/hich his numerous family were re- 
duced by the loss of his employment, and concluded with 
these words: — "Broken without being heard, at the end of 
twenty-nine years of faithful service, but too proud to make 
me afraid of a disgrace which cannot but be honorable to me, 

* The voyage from Senegal to the country of Galam is made but 
once a year, because it is necessary to take advantage of the over- 
flowing of the river, either in coming or going. The merchant boats 
which are destined to make the voyage look like a fleet, and depart in 
the middle of August, under escort of a king's ship, commissioned tx) 
pay the droits and oustoms to the negro princes of the interior, vvith 
whom that colony is connected. 



348 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

especially as it has its source in those philanthropic principles 
which I manifested in the abandoning of the raft of the Medu- 
sa, I resign myself in silence to my destiny." 

This letter, full of energy, although a little too firm, failed 
not to affect the feeling heart of the Minister of Marine, who 
wrote to the governor of Senegal to give my father some 
employment in the administration of the colony. But that 
order had either remained too long in the office of the minis- 
ter, or the governor of Senegal had judged it proper not to 
communicate the good news to us, as we did not hear of the 
order of the minister till after the death of my father, nearly 
fifteen months after its date. 

When my father had rendered his accounts, and installed 
his successor into the colony's office, he told me it would be 
quite necessary to think of returning into his island of Safal, 
to cultivate it ourselves. He persuaded me that our planta- 
tion suffered sorely from the want of our personal care, and 
that the happiness and tranquility of a country life would soon 
make us forget our enemies and our sufferings. It was then 
decided that I should set off on the morrow, with two of ray 
brothers, to go and cultivate the cotton at the plantation. We 
took our little shallop and two negro sailors, and by daybreak 
were upon the river, leaving at Senegal my fiither, my sister 
Caroline, and the youngest of our brothers and sisters. 

For the space of two m'onths I endured, as did my little 
brothers, the beams of a burning sun, the irritations of insects 
and thoi^ns, and the want of that food to which we had been 
accustomed. I suffered during all the day from a severe 
headache : but I collected from the ground which belonged 
to us the cotton, on which were founded all our hopes. At 
night my tAvo young brothers and myself retired into the cot- 
tage which Ave used in the island : the working negroes 
brought the cotton which we had collected during the day; 
after which I set about preparing supper. The children, ac- 
companied by the old negro Etienne, (the keeper of the plan- 
tation,) went and picked up some branches of dry wood. We 
lighted a large fire in the middle of the hut, and I kneaded the 
cakes of millet flour which were to be our supper, as Avell as 
what was to supply us the next day. My paste being prepar- 
ed, I laid each cake upon the fire which the children had 
lighted. Often, and especially when we were very hungry, I 
placed them on a shovel of iron, which I set upon the fire. 
This quick mode of proceeding procured us millet bread in 
less than half an hour : but it jnust be confessed that this 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 349 

species of wafers or cakes, though well enough prepared and 
baked, was far from having the taste of those we eat at Paris. 
However, to make them more palatable, I added butter when 
I had it, or we ate them with some sour milk. With the first 
dish Avas served up at the same time the dessert, which stood 
in place of dainties, of roast meat and salad ; it generally con- 
sisted of boiled beans, or roasted pistachio nuts. On festival 
days, being those when my father came to see us, we forgot 
our bad fare in eating the sweet bread he brought with him 
from Senegal. 

In the month of December, 1818, having gone one morning 
with my brothers to take a walk among the woods behind 
our cottage, I found a tree covered with blossoms as white as 
snow, and wdiich had a delicious smell. We gathered a great 
quantity of them, which we carried home ; but these flowers, 
as we afterward found by sad experience, contained a delete- 
rious poison Their strong and pungent odor caused vio- 
lent pains in the head, forerunners of a malignant fever, which 
brought us within two steps of the grave. Two days after my 
young brothers were seized; fortunately my father arrived on 
the foiiovring day and removed them to Senegal 

Nov/ then I was alone with my old negro Etienne in the 
island of Safal, far from my family, isolated in the midst of 
a desert island, in which the birds, the wolves, and the tigers, 
composed the sole population. I gave free course to my 
tears and sorrows. The civilized vrorld, said I to mj-self, is 
far from me, an immense river separates me from my friends. 
Alas ! what comfort can 1 find in this frightful solitude ? What 
can I do upon this VvTetched earth? Eat although I said I 
v.-as unfortunate, was I not necessary to my unhappy father? 
Had I not promist-d to assist him in the education of his chil- 
dren, v.'hom cruel death had deprived of their mother ? Yes ! 
yes ! I vvas too sensible my life was yet necessar5\ Engaged 
in these melancholy reflections, I fell into a depression of 
mind which it wojild be diflicult to describe. Next morning 
the tumult of my thoughts led me to the banks of the river, 
where, the preceding evening, I had seen the canoe carry aw^ay 
my father and my young brothers. There I fixed my humid 
eyes upon the expanse of water without seeing any thing but 
a horrible immensity ; then, as recovered from my sorrow, I 
turned to the neighboring fields to greet the flowers and plants 
which the sun was just beginning to gild. They were my 
friends, m.y companions ; they alone could yet alleviate ray 
melancholy, and render my loneliness supportable. At last 

30 



350 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

the star of day arising above the horizon, admonished me to 
resume my labors. 

Having- returned to the cottage, I went to the harvest with 
Etienne. For the space of two days I continued at my ac- 
customed occupations, but on the morning of the third, on re- 
turning from the plantation to the house, I felt myself sudden- 
ly seized with a violent pain in my head. As soon as I 
reached home I lay down. On the morning I found mysel/ 
unable to rise out of bed ; a burning fever had manifested 
itself during the night, and even deprived me of the h6pe 0/ 
being able to return to Senegal. 

I was incapable of doing any thing. The good Etienne, 
touched with my condition, took his fowling-piece and went 
into the neighboring woods, to endeavor to shoot me some 
game. An old vulture was the only produce of the chase. 
He brought it to me, and, in spite of the repugnance I express- 
ed for that species of birds, he persisted in boiling some of it 
for me. In about an hour afterward he presented me with a 
bowlof that African broth: but I found it so bitter I could 
not swallow it. I felt myself -getting worse, and every mo- 
ment seemed to be the last of life. At last, about noon, hav- 
ing collected all my remaining strength, I wrote to my father 
the distressed state I was in ; Etienne took the charge of car- 
rying my letter, and left me alone in the midst of our island. 
At night I experienced a great increase of fever ; my strength 
abandoned me entirely; I was unable to shut the door of the 
house in which I la}^ 1 w^as far from my family ; no human 
being dwelt in the island ; no person witnessed my sufferings. 
I fell into a state of utter unconsciousness, and I knew not 
what I did during the remainder of the night. On the follow- 
ing morning, having recovered from my insensibility, I heard 
some person near me utter sorrowful cries ; it was my good 
sister Caroline. I opened my eyes, and to my astonishment 
found myself at Senegal, surrounded by an afflicted family. 
I felt as if I had returned from the other world. My father 
had set off on the instant he had received my letter,^ with Eti- 
enne, to the island, and finding me delirious, took me to Se- 
negal without my being conscious of it. Recovering by de- 
grees from my confusion, I was desirous of seeing my bro- 
thers, who had been attacked the same way as myself Our 
house looked like an hospital. Here a dying child wished 
them to take away the monster he imagined he saw before 
his bed; there another demanded something to drink, then re- 
fusing to take the medicines which were offered to him, filled 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 351 

the house with his groans ; at a distance my feeble voice 
was heard asking- something to quench the thirst which con- 
sumed me. 

However, the unremitting care we received, as well as the 
generous medicine of M. Gluincey, with the tender concern of 
my father and my sister Caroline, soon placed us out of dan- 
ger. I then understood that the flowers I had had the im- 
prudence to collect in the wood of Safal had been the princi- 
pal cause of my illness, as well as that of my brothers. In 
the meanwhile my father built two new huts in the island, 
with the intention of going and living there with all his family. 
But as his affairs kept him some days at Senegal, he was 
prevented from returning to Safal with the children, to con- 
tinue the collecting of cotton. On the morrow we all set ofT. 
When we had arrived upon the Marigot, in the island of Ba- 
bagney, we hailed the keeper of our island to come and take 
us over in his canoe. In the meantime I amused myself in 
looking at our habitation, which seemed very much embel- 
lished since my departure, as it had been augmented with two 
new cottages. I discovered the country to be much greener 
since I last saw it ; in a word, all nature seemed smiling and 
beautiful. At last Etienne, to whom we had been calling for 
a quarter of an hour, arrived with his canoe, into which we 
stepped, and soon were again in the island of Safal. 

Arrived at my cottage, I began to examine all the changes 
my father had made during my illness. The small cottage 
situated to the west, I chose as my sleeping apartment. It 
was well made with straw and reeds, yet green, and the win- 
dow, whence was seen the cotton field, was of the greatest 
advantage to me. I began to clean the floor of my apart- 
ments, which Avas nothing else than sand, among which were 
various roots and blades of grass. After that I went to visit 
the little poultry yard, where I found two ducks and some 
hens placed there a short while before. I was very glad of 
these little arrangements ; and returned to the principal cot- 
tage to prepare breakfast. After this we betook ourselves to 
the business of cotton gathering. 

Eight days had already elapsed since our return to the isl- 
and of Safal, when one morning Ave perceived our shallop up- 
on the river, which we always knew by a signal placed upon 
the mast head. It was my father, who brought twelve ne- 
groes with him, which he had hired at Senegal, for assisting 
him in the cultivation of his island. The men were instantly 
set to brefik up the soil ; the women and children assisted us 



352 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA, 

in gathering cotton. My father then dismissed the negroes 
who worked by the day, as he had to come and go to Senegal, 
where the urgency of his business yet required his presence. 

I remained a long while without seeing him ; but at the 
end of eight days I was agreeably surprised at finding our 
boat in the little bay of the Babaguey. I ran with the family 
negroes to disembark our effects, and I soon had the pleasure 
of holding my sister Caroline in my arms. My father came 
on shore afterward with the youngest children, and all the 
family found themselves united under the roof of the African 
cottage, in the island of Safal. " You see, my child," said 
my father to me on entering our huts, " you see all our rich- 
es ! we have neither movables nor house at Senegal : every 
thing we can claim as our own is here." I embraced my fa- 
ther, and my brothers and sisters, and then went to unload 
our boat. Our house was soon filled. It served at once for 
a cellar, granary, store-house, a parlor, and bed-chamber. 
However, we found a place for every thing : next day vv^e be- 
gan to fit them up more commodiously. My sister and my- 
self lived in the small house to the west ; my father took up 
his residence in that toward the east ; and the large hut in 
the centre was the place where the children slept. Round 
about the last we suspendp.d some boards by cords, to hold 
our dishes and various kitchen utensils. A table, two bench- 
es, and some chairs, a large couch, some old barrels, a mill to 
grind the cotton, and implements of husbandry, constituted the 
iurniture of that cottage. Nevertheless, in spite of its hum- 
bleness, the sun came and gilded our roofs of straw and reeds. 
My father then fitted up his cottage as a study. Here were 
boards suspended by small cords, upon which his books and 
papers were arranged with the greatest order ; there a fir 
board, supported by four feet driven into the ground, served 
as a desk ; at a distance stood his gun, his pistols, his sword» 
his clarionet, and some mathematical instruments. A chair, 
a small couch, a pitcher, and a cup, formed his little furniture. 

Our cottage was situated on the top of a little hill of gentle 
ascent. Forests of mangrove trees, gum-trees, tamarind- 
trees, sheltered us on the west, the north, and the east. To 
the south was situated the plantation Avhich we called South- 
field. This field was already covered with about three hun- 
dred thousand feet of cotton, a third of which had nearly be- 
gun to be productive. Upon the banks of the river, and to 
the west of the cotton field, was situated our garden ; finally, 
to the south of the plain were our fields of maize, beans, and 
millet. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 353 

Our little republic, to which my father gave laws, was go- 
verned in the following manner : — We usually rose about day- 
break, and met altogether in the large cottage. After having 
embraced our father, we fell upon oim knees to return thanks 
to the Supreme Being, for the gift of another day. That fin- 
ished, my father led the negroes to their work, during which 
my sister and myself arranged the family affairs, and prepar- 
ed breakfast, when, about eight o'clock, we returned to the 
cottage. Breakfast being over, each took his little bag and 
went and gathered cotton. About noon, as the heat became 
insupportable, all returned to the cottage, and worked at dif- 
ferent employments. I was principally charged with the edu- 
cation of my young brothers and sisters, and the young ne- 
groes of the family. Round my little hut were suspended 
various pictures for study, upon which I taught them to read, 
according to the method of mutual assistance. A bed of sand, 
smoothed upon a small bench, served the younger ones to 
trace and understand the letters of the alphabet ; the others 
wrote upon slates. We bestowed nearly two hours upon 
each exercise, and then my scholars amused themselves at 
different games. At three o'clock all returned to the cotton 
field, and remained till five. Dinner, which we usually had 
at six, was followed by a little family conversation, in which 
the children were interrogated concerning w^hat they had been 
taught during the day. When I was well pleased with them 
I promised them a story, or a fable, in the evening. Some- 
times after dinner we went to take a short walk on the banks 
of the river ; then returned to the cottage, where Etienne had 
the care of lighting a large fire, the heat of which forced 
the musketoes and gnats to yield their place to the little cir- 
cle which our family made round the hearth. Then my sis- 
ter Caroline and myself related some fables to the children, 
or read them a lesson from the Evangelists or the Bible ; 
whilst my father smoked his pipe, amusing himself by con- 
templating all his family around him. The hour of going to 
bed being arrived, we made a common prayer, after which all 
retired to their separate huts to sleep. 

Thus our days glided away amid the occupations of the 
fields and the recreations of the family. On Sundays our 
labors were suspended. Sometimes, to spend the day more 
agreeably, and avoid the molestations of the hunters, who of- 
ten came to our island, we went to the island of Bokos, situ- 
ated to the east of Safal. On reaching it, we seated ourselves 
under a large baobab, which was more than thirty feet in eir- 

30* 



554 saiPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA, 

cumference. After having finished our humhle repast under 
the, umbrage of that wonderful tree, my father would go and 
amuse himself with the chase; my sister Caroline and my- 
self went to search for rare plants to assist our studies in 
botany ; whilst the children hunted butterflies and other in- 
sects. Charles, the eldest of the boys, swam like a fish ; and 
when my father shot a duck or aigreite upon the water, he 
would instantly throw himself in and fetch the game. At 
other times he would climb the top of the trees to rob the 
birds, QT bury himself in the midst of bushes to gather the 
fruits of the countrj^ then run, all breathless and delighted, to 
present us with his discovery. We would remain in the isl- 
and till nearly four in the afternoon, then return to our boat, 
and our negi'oes rowed us to our island. 

During the time of the greatest heats, for we could not 
long endure the rays of the sun, we passed a part of the Sun- 
day under a very bushy tamarind tree, which stood at a little 
distance from our cottage. Thus, in the good times, did the 
lords, barons, and marquises gather themselves under the old 
elms of the village, to discuss the concerns of their vassals^ 
in like manner did my father collect us under the tamarind 
tree, to regulate the afiairs of his republic, and also to enjoy 
the landscapes which our island afibrded. We sometimes 
took our meals there, and on those occasions the ground serv- 
ed us at once for table, table-cloth, and seat. The children 
gamboled on the grass, and played a thousand tricks to amuse 
ms. We now began to discover that ever}^ condition of life 
has its own peculiar enjoyments. If the labors of the week 
seemed long and laborious, the Sabbath recompensed us by 
our country recreations. Vv^e lived thus for some time in the 
greatest tranquillity. Shut up in a desert island from ajl so- 
ciety, we ventured to think we had discovered the condition 
of real happiness. 

Every Wednesday we sent two negroes to the village of 
Gandiolle, to purchase provisions, such as butter, milk, eggs, 
&c. One day, however, my father resolved to purchase a 
cow and thirty fowls, that we might have in our island all the 
little necessaries used by a family. Our poultry yard being 
thus augmented, we looked upon ourselves as great as the 
richest princes in Africa ; and in truth, since we had a cot- 
tage, milk, butter, eggs, maize, millet, cotton, tranquillity and 
health, what more was necessary to our comfort ? 

Whilst we were thus enjoying, in peace, our little good for- 
tone, my father received a letter desiring him to repair to Se- 



SHIPWRECK OF THE 5IEDUSA. 355 

negal with all possible speed. He went, and left me at the 
head of our establishment, but a great misfortune happened, 
which we could not prevent ; — six of our laboring negroes 
whom we had hired, deserted during the night, and took our 
small boat with them. I was extremely distressed, and in- 
stantly made Etienne swim the river and go and beg of the 
President at Babaguey to take him to my father, who was still 
at Senegal, to tell him the melancholy news. That good ne- 
gro was soon on the other side of the water, and went to M. 
Lerouge ,(the name of the President,) who gave him his ca- 
noe. A.t night, we saw him returning without my father, who 
went into the country to search for the fugitive negroes. He 
spent three whole days in the countries of Gandiolle and 
Touby, v\'hich lie in the neighborhood of our island, but ail 
his labor was in vain. The deserting negroes had already 
gained the forest of the interior ; and my father, exhausted 
with fatigue, returned to Safal. I confess, though I was deep- 
ly distressed at the desertion of these slaves, who were so 
necessary to us for realizing our agricultural projects, my 
heart could not blame these unfortunate creatures, who only 
sought to recover that freedom from Avhich they had been torn. 
At this date, that is, about the 1st of March, 1819, we 
learned that M. Schmaltz had returned from France, and was 
in the Bay of St. Louis ; and that the Minister of Marine had 
approved of all the projects relative to the agricultural esta- 
blishment at Senegal. This news revived my father's hopes. 
As this establishment had been originally proposed by him, 
he flattered himself they would do him justice in the end. In 
this expectation, he went to meet with Governor Schmaltz, 
who hxad to pass our house on the morrow : but he would not 
speak with him. On the following day my father wrote to 
him from the hotel at St. Louis ; four days after which we 
were assured that the governor was very far from wishing us 
well, and still farther from doing justice to my father. How- 
ever, some of his friends encouraged him to make fresh en- 
deavors, and persuaded him he would obtain a premium of 
encouragement for having first set the example of cultivating 
cotton at Senegal : they assured him also that funds had been 
sent to M. Schmaltz for that purpose. Vain hope ! every 
dlaim was rejected, we had not even the satisfaction of know- 
ing whether the premium which my father sought was due to 
him or not ; we got no reply. My father wishing to make a 
last attempt to ward off the misery which menaced us, went 
to supplicate the governor to allow us either money to pur- 



356 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

chase food, or rations. This last petition was not more suc- 
cessful than the former. We were abandoned to our unhap- 
py fate, whilst more than twenty persons, who had never done 
any service to the government, received, gratis, rations every 
day from the magazines of the colony. "Very well!" said 
my father to me when he found he Avas refused that assistance 
which M. Schmaltz had ordered to the other unfortunate per- 
sons in the colony, " let the governor be happy if he can, I 
will not envy his felicity. Behold, my child, behold this 
roof of thatch which covers us: see these hurdles of reeds 
which molder into dust, this bed of rushes, my body already 
impaired by-years, and my children weeping around me for 
bread! You see a perfect picture of poverty! Nevertheless, 
there are yet beings upon the earth more unfortunate than we 
are !" — " Alas I" said I to him, " our misery is great; but I 
can support it, and even greater, VA'ithout complaining, if I 
saw you exposed to less harassing cares. All your children 
are young, and of a good constitution ; we can endure mis- 
fortune, and even habituate ourselves to it ; but we have 
cause to fear that the want of wholesome and sufficient food 
will make you fall, and then we shall be deprived of the only 
stay we have upon earth." — " O my dear child," cried my fa- 
ther, " you have penetrated into the secrets of my soul, you 
know all my fears, and I will no longer endeavor to conceal 
the sorrow which has weighed for a longtime upon my heart. 
However, my death may perhaps be a blessing to my family ; 
my bitter enemies will then doubtless cease to persecute 
you." — " My father," replied I, " break not my heart ; how 
can you, forgetting your children, their tender affection, the 
assistance which you ought to give them, and which they have 
a right to expect from you, wish us to believe your death will 
be a benefit to us ?" He was moved with these words, and 
his tears flowed in abundance ; then, pressing me to his bo- 
som, he cried, " No, no, my dear children, I will not die, but 
will live to procure for you an existence more comfortable 
tlsan that you have experienced since we came to Senegal. 
From this moment I break every tie which binds me to the 
government of this colony ; I will go and procure for you a 
new abode in the interior of the country of the negroes ; yes, 
my dear children, we will find more humanity among the sa- 
vage hordes that live in our neighborhood, than among the 
greater part of these Europeans who compose the adminis- 
tration of this colony." In fact, some time after, my father 
obtained from the negro prince of the province of Cayor, a 



SHIPWRECK OF THK MEDUSA. 357 

grant on his estates, and we were to take possession of it af- 
ter the rainy season : but heaven had decided otherwise. 

From this time my father, always indignant at the manner 
in which the governor had acted toward us, resolved to re- 
tire ahogether lo his island, and to have as little intercourse 
with the Europeans of the colony as he could. Nevertheless, 
he received with pleasure the friends who from time to time 
came to visit us, and who sometimes carried him to St. Louis, 
where they disputed among themselves the pleasure of enter- 
taining him, and of making him forget his misfortunes by the 
favors which they heaped upon him ; but the mortifications 
he had experienced in that town made him always impatient 
till he returned to his island. One day as he returned from 
Senegal, after having spent tw^o days at the house of his 
friends, they lent him a negro mason to build an oven for us ; 
for till then v^^e had always baked our bread upon the embers. 
With this oven we were no longer obliged to eat our millet- 
bread with the cinders which so plenteously stuck to it. 

One morning as he was preparing to take the negroes to 
their labor, he perceived his dog did not follow him as usual. 
He called, but in vain. Then he thought his faithful com- 
pavuion had crossed the river to Babaguey, as he used to do 
sometimes. Arrived at the cotton field, my father remarked 
large foot-prints upon the sand, which seemed to be those of 
a tiger, and beside them several drops of blood, and doubted 
not that his poor Sultan had been devoured. He immediately 
returned to the cottage to acquaint us with the fate of his dog, 
which we greatly regretted. From that day the children 
were prohibited from going any distance from home ; my sis- 
ter and myself durst no more walk among the woods as we 
used to do. 

Four days after the loss of the faithful Sultan, as we were 
going to bed, we heard behind our cottage mewings like those 
of a cat, but much louder. My father instantly rose, and in 
spite of our entreaties and fears, went out armed with his 
sword and gun, in the hope of meeting with the animal whose 
frightful cries had filled us wdth dread ; but the ferocious 
beast, having heard a noise near the little hill where it was, 
made a leap over his head and disappeared in the woods. He 
returned a little frightened at the boldness and agility of the 
creature, and gave up the pursuit till the following day ; he 
caused some negroes to come from the island of Babaguey; 
whom he joined with his own, and putting himself at their 
head, he thought he would soon return with the skin of the ti- 



358 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

ger. But the carnivorous animal did not appear during all 
that night; he contented himself with uttering dismal howl- 
ings in the midst of the woods. My father being called to 
Senegal by some of his friends, left us on the morrow. Be- 
fore going, he strictly enjoined us to keep fast the doors of 
the house, and to secure ourselves against ferocious beasts. 
At night we barricadoed every avenue to our cottage, and 
shut up the dog with us, which a friend of my father had 
brought to him from the town, to supply the place of that 
which we had lost. But my sister and myself were but ill 
at ease ; for our huts being already decayed, we were afraid 
the tiger would get in and devour the successor of poor Sul- 
tan. However, Etienne came and quieted our fears a little, 
by saying he would make the round of the huts during the 
night. We then lay down, having left our lamp burning. 
Toward the middle of the night I was awoke by a hollow 
noise which issued from the extremity of our large chamber. 
I listened attentively ; and the noise increasing, 1 heard our 
dog growling, and also a kind of roaring like that of a lioriw 
Seized with the greatest terror, I awoke my sister Caroline, 
who, as well as myself, thought a ferocious beast had got into 
the cottage. In an instant our dog raised the most terrible 
barking ; the other animal replied by a hollow, but hideous 
growl. AH this uproar passed in my father's chamber. Our 
minds were paralyzed ; the children awoke and came and 
precipitated themselves in our arms ; but none durst call 
Etienne to our assistance. At last my sister and myself de- 
cided we should go and see what occasioned all this noise. 
Caroline took the lamp in one hand and a stick in the other, 
and I armed myself with a long lance. Arrived at the mid- 
dle of the large cottage, we discovered, at the end of my fa- 
ther's study, our dog, who had seized a large animal covered 
with yellowish hair. The fears which perplexed us left no 
doubt but that it was either a lion, or at least a tiger. We 
durst neither advance nor retreat, and our weapons fell from 
our hands. In a moment these two furious creatures darted 
into the hut where we were ; the air was rent with their cries ; 
our legs bent under us ; we fell upon the floor in a faint ; the 
lamp was extinguished, and we believed we were devoured. 
Etienne at length awoke, knocked at the door, then burst it 
open, ran up to us, lighi-ed the lamp, and showed us our mis- 
take. The supposed lion was nothing else than a large dog, 
from the island of Babaguey, fighting with ours. Etienne 
separated them with a stick ; and the furious animal, which 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 359 

had frightened us so much, escaped through the same hole 
by which he had entered our house. We stopped up the 
opening and retired to bed, but were not able to sleep. My 
father having arrived next morning from Senegal, we recount- 
ed to him the fright we had during the night, and he instantly 
set about repairing the wails of our cottage. 

It was now the beginning of May : our cotton harvest was 
completely finished, but it was not so productive as we had 
hoped. The rains had not been abundant the preceding year, 
which caused the deficiency in our crop. We now became 
more economical than ever, to be able to pass the bad season 
which had set in. We now lived entirely on the food of the 
negroes ; we also put on clothing more suitable to our situa- 
tion than that we had hitherto worn. A piece of coarse cotton, 
wrought by the negroes, served to make us dresses, and clothes 
for the children ; my father was habited in coarse blue silk. 
On purpose to ameliorate our condition, he sent on Sundays, 
to Senegal, a negro, to purchase two or three loaves of white 
bread. It was, in our melancholy condition, the finest repast 
we could procure. 

One Sunday evening, as all the family were seated rounrl a 
large fire eating some small loaves which had been brought 
from Senegal, a negro from the main land gave my father a 
letter ; it was from N. Renaud, Surgeon-Major at Bakal, in 
Galam, announcing to us, to complete the sum of our misfor- 
tunes, that the merchandise he had sent to Galam, the prece- 
ding year, had been entirely consumed by fire. " Now," 
cried my unhappy father, '.' my ruin is complete ! Nothing 
more wretched can touch us. You see, my dear children, 
that Fortune has not ceased persecuting us. We have nothing 
more to expect from her, since the only resource which re- 
mamed has been destroyed." 

This new misfortune, which we little expected, plunged all 
our family into the deepest distress. " What misfortunes ! 
what mortifications !" cried I ; "it is time to quit this land of 
wretchedness ! Leave it then ; return to France ; there only 
we will be able to forget all our misfortunes. And you, cruel 
enemies of my father, whom we have to reproach for all the 
misery we have experienced in these lands, ma}^ you, in pun- 
ishment for all the evil you have done us, be tortured with the 
keenest remorse!" 

It cost all the philosophy of my father to quiet our minds 
after the fatal event. He comforted us by saying that Heaven 
alone was just, and that it was our duty to rely upon it. Some 



360 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA, 

days after our friends from Senegal came to pay us a visit, and 
testified for us the greatest sorrow. They agreed among them- 
selves to engage all the Europeans in the colony in a voluntarj'- 
subscription in our behalf; but my father opposed it by say- 
ing he could not receive assistance from those who were so 
truly his friends. The generous M. Dard, director of the 
French school, was not the last nor least who took an interest 
in us. As soon as he heard of the unfortunate news, he cor- 
dially offered my father all the money he had, and endeavored 
to get provisions for us from the government stores, but he 
failed. After the visits of my father's friends we were not so 
unhappy, and yet enjoyed some tranquillity in our humble 
cottage. He brought a barrel of wine and two of flour, to 
support us during the rainy season, or winter, a period so 
fatal to Europeans Avho inhabit the torrid zone. 

It was yet but about the beginning of June, 1819, and al- 
ready the humid winds of the south announced the approach 
of the bad season, or winter. The whirlwinds of the north 
no longer brought the hot sands of the desert : but instead of 
them came the south-east, bringing clouds of locusts, muske- 
toes and gnats. We could no longer spend our twilights at 
the cottage, it was so filled with these insects. We fled every 
morning to escape their stings, and did not return home till 
overcome vrith sleep. One night, on entering the hut, after a 
long day's work at the cotton field, we perceived an animal 
stealing among the bushes at a soft slow pace: but having 
heard us, it leaped a very high hedge, and disappeared. 
From its agility, we discovered it to be a tiger-cat, which had 
been prowling about our poultry-yard, in the hope of catching 
some chickens, of which these animals are very fond. The 
same night my sister and mj^self were awoke with a hollow 
noise, which we heard near our bed. Our thoughts instantl}' 
returned to the tiger-cat ; we believed that it was it we heard, 
and springing up, we awoke my father. Being all three armed, 
we began by looking under my bed, as the noise seemed to 
proceed from the bottom of a large hole, deep under ground. 
We were then convinced it was caused by a serpent, but found 
it impossible to get at It. The song of this reptile so fright- 
ened us that we could sleep no longer ; however, we soon be- 
came accustomed to its invisible music, for at short intervals 
we heard it all the night. Some time after the discover}'- of 
the den of this reptile songster, my sister, going to feed five 
or six pigeons which she had in a little hut, perceived a large 
serpent, who seemxed to have a wing on each side of its 




ICEBERGS. 

These bodies of ice in the Arctic regions, are the creation of age«, 
annually increasing by snow and rain. — p. 434. 




THE MAELSTROM. 

This dreadful whirlpool is so violent that every thing which comes 
near it, is drawn in and dashed to pieces. — p. 430. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 361 

mouth. She instantly called my father, who quickly ran to 
her with his gun, but the wings which the creature seemed to 
have had already disappeared. As his belly was prodigious- 
ly- swelled, my father made the negroes open it, and, to our 
great surprise, found four of the pigeons of our dove-cote. 
The serpent was nearly nine feet in length, and about nine 
inches in circumference in the middle. After it was skinned, 
we gave it to the negroes, who regaled themselves upon it. 
This was not the one, however, which we had heard during 
the night, for in the evening on which it was killed we heard 
the whistlings of its companions. We then resolved to look 
for a more comfortable place to plant our cottage, and to 
abandon the rising ground to the serpents, and the woods to 
the tigers. We chose a spot on the south side of our island, 
pretty near to the banks of the river. 

When this new ground was prepared my father surrounded 
it with a hurdle of reeds, and then transported our cottage 
thither. This manner of removing from one place to another 
is very expeditious ; in less than three days we were fairly 
seated in our new abode. However, as we had not time to 
carry away our poultry, we left them, upon the hill till the 
place we had appropriated for them was completed. It was 
fenced on all sides, and covered with a large net, to prevent 
the birds of prey taking away our little chickens, and we had 
no fear in leaving them during the night. On the evening of 
the next day, my sister, accompanied with the children, went 
to feed the various inhabitants of the poultry-yard; but on 
approaching it she saw the frame of reeds half fallen, the 
net rent, and feathers scattered here and there upon the road. 
Having reached the site of our former cottage, heaps of wor- 
ried ducks and chickens were the only objects which present- 
ed themselves. She instantly sent one of the children to ac- 
quaint us with the disaster, and my father and myself hai^en- 
ed to the scene of carnage, but it was too late to take any pre- 
cautions — all our poultry were destroyed ! Two hens and a 
duck only had escaped the massacre, by having squatted in 
the bottom of an old barrel. We counted the dead which 
were left in the yard, and found that the ferocious beasts had 
eaten the half: about two hundred eggs of ducks and hens, 
nearly hatched, were destroyed at the same time. 

This was a great loss to us, especially as we counted as 
much upon our poultry-yard as upon our plantation. We 
were obliged to resign ourselves to our fate ; for to what pur- 
pose would sorrow serve? The evil was done, and it only re- 

31 



362 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

maiiied for us to guard against the recurrence of a like mis- 
fortune. The poultry-yard was instantly transported to our 
new habitation, and we took care to surround it with thorns, 
to keep off the w^olves, the foxes, and the tigers. Our two 
hens and the duck were placed in it till we could purchase 
others. 

Our new cottage was, as I have already said, situated on 
the banks of the river. A small wood of mangrove trees 
and acacias grew to the left, presenting a scene sufficiently 
agreeable. But the marshy wood sent forth such clouds of 
musketoes, that from the first day we were so persecuted as 
scarcely to be able to inhabit our cottage during the night. 
We were forced to betake ourselves to our canoe, and sail up 
and down the river ; but we were not more sheltered from 
the stings of the insects than upon land. Sometimes, after a 
long course, we would return to the hut, where, in spite of 
the heat, we would envelope ourselves in thick woolen blank- 
ets, to pass the night ; then, after being half suffocated, we 
would fill the house full of smoke, or go and plunge ourselves 
in the river. 

I am bold to say, we were the most miserable creatures 
that ever existed on the face of the earth. The thoughts of 
passing all the bad season in this state of torture, made us re- 
gret a hundred times we had not perished in the shipwreck. 
How, thought I, how is it possible to endure the want of sleep, 
the stings of myriads of insects, the putrid exhalations of 
marshes, the heat of the climate, the smoke of our huts, the 
chagrin which consumes us, and the want of the most neces- 
sary articles of life, without being overcome ! My father, 
however, to prevent us seeing the melancholy which weighed 
upon him, assumed a serene air when his soul was a prey 
to the most horrible anguish ; but through this pretended pla- 
cidity it was easy to see the various sentiments by which his 
heart was affected. Often would that good man say to us, 
" My children, I am not unhappy, but I suffer to see you buried 
in the deserts. If 1 could gather a sufficient sum to convey 
you to France, I would at least have the satisfaction of think- 
ing you there enjoyed life, and that your youth did not pass in 
these solitudes, far from human society." — " How, my father," 
replied I to him, " how can you think we would be happy in 
France, when we knew you were in misery in Africa ! O, af- 
flict us not. You know, and we have said so a hundred times, 
that our sole desire is to remain near you, to assist you to 
bring up our young brothers and sisters, and to endeavor by 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 363 

our care to make them worthy of all your tenderness." The 
g-ood man would then fold us in his arms ; and the tears which 
trickled down his cheeks for a while soothed his sufferings* 

Often, to divert our thoughts from the misery we endured, 
would we read some of the works of our best authors. My 
father was usually on these occasions the reader, whilst Ca- 
roline and myself listened. Sometimes w^e would amuse our- 
selves with shooting the bow, and chasing the wild ducks and 
fowls which went about our house. In this manner we en- 
deavored to dissipate in part our ennui during the day. As 
our cottage was situated close to the banks of the river, we 
amused ourselves in fishing whilst the heat and the muske- 
toes would permit us. Caroline and our young brothers were 
chiefly charged with fishing for crabs, and they always caught 
sufficient to afford supper to all the family. But sometimes 
we had to forego this evening's repast, for the musketoes at 
that hour were in such prodigious numbers that it was im- 
possible to remain more than an instant in one place, unless 
we were enveloped in our coverings of wool. But the chil- 
dren not having so much sense, would not allow themselves 
to be thus suffocated ; they could not rest in any place, and 
every instant their doleful groans forced our tears of pity. 
O cruel remembrance ! thou makest me yet weep as I write 
these lines. 

Toward the beginning of July the rains showed us it was 
seed time. We began by sowing the cotton, then the fields of 
millet, maize, and beans. Early in the morning the family 
went to work : some digged, others sowed, till the fierceness 
of the sun forced us to retire to the cottage, where we ex- 
pected a plate of kouskous, of fish, and a little rest. At three 
o'clock we all returned to the fields, and did not leave off 
working till the approach of night: then we all went home, 
and each occupied himself in fishing or hunting. Whilst we 
were thus busied in providing our supper and provisions for 
the morrow, we sometimes would receive a visit from the 
sportsmen who were returning to Senegal. Some would feel 
for our misery, but many made us w^eep with their vulgar af- 
fronts. On these occasions Caroline and myself would fly 
from these disgusting beings, as from the wild beasts who 
prowled about us. Sometimes, to make us forget the insults 
and mortifications we experienced from the negro merchants 
who live at Senegal, and whom curiosity brought to our isl- 
and, my father would say to us, " Wherefore, my dears, are 
you distressed with the impertinences of these beings ? Only 



864 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

think that, in spite of our wretchedness, you are a hundred 
times hetter than they who are nothing more than vile traffick- 
ers in human flesh, sons of soldiers without manners, rich 
sailors, or free-hooters, without education and without coun- 
try." 

One day a French negro merchant, whom I will not name, 
having crossed the Senegal to the station of Babaguey, and 
seeing our cottage in the distance, inquired to whom it be- 
longed. He was told it was the father of a family whom mis- 
fortune had forced to seek a refuge in that island. I wish I 
could see them, said the merchant, it will be very drole. In 
fact, a short while after we had a visit from this curieux, who, 
after he had said all manner of impertinences to us, went to 
hunt in our plantation, where he killed the only duck which 
we had left, and which he had the audacity to carry away in 
spite of our entreaties. Fortunately for the insolent thief, 
my father was absent, else he would have avenged the death 
of the duck which even the tigers had spared in the massacre 
of our poultry-yard. 

Since the commencement of winter we had had but little 
rain, when one night we were roused by a loud peal of thun- 
der. A horrible tempest swept over us, and the hurricane 
bent the trees of the fields. The lightning tore up the ground, 
the sound of the thunder redoubled, and torrents of water 
were precipitated upon our cottage. 'The winds roared with 
the utmost fury, our roofs were swept away, our huts were 
blown down, and all the waters of heaven rushed in upon us. 
A flood penetrated our habitation ; all our family drenched, 
confounded, sought refuge under the wrecks of our walls of 
straw and reeds. All our eflects were floating, and hurried 
off by the floods which surrounded us. The whole heavens 
were in a blaze ; the thunderbolt burst, fell, and burnt the 
mainmast of the French brig Nantaise, which was anchored 
at a little distance from our island. After this horrible deto- 
nation, calm was insensibly restored, whilst the hissing of ser- 
pents and howlings of the wild beasts were the only sounds 
heard around us. The insects and reptiles, creeping out of 
the earth, dispersed themselves through all the places of our 
cottage which water had not covered. Large beetles went 
buzzing on all sides, and attached themselves to our clothes, 
whilst the millepedes, lizards, and crabs, of an immense size, 
crawled over the wrecks of our huts. At last, about ten 
o'clock, nature resumed her usual tranquillity, the thunder 
ceased to be heard, the winds instantly fell, and the air re- 
mained calm and dull. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 365 

After the tempest had eeased, we endeavored to mend our 
huts a little, but we could not effect it, and were obliged to 
remain all day under the wrecks of our cottage. Such, how- 
ever, was the manner in which we spent nearly all our days 
and nights. In reading this recital, the reader has but a feeble 
idea of the privations, the sufferings, and the evils, to which 
the unfortunate Picard family were exposed during their stay 
in the island of Safal. 

About this time my father was obliged to go to Senegal. 
During his absence, the children discovered that the negroes 
who remained with us had formed a scheme of deserting dur- 
ing the night. Caroline and myself were much embarrassed 
and undecided what course to pursue to prevent their escape ; 
at last, having well considered the matter, we thought, as 
Etienne would be in the plot, we had no other means of pre- 
venting their escape but by each of us arming ourselves with 
a pistol, and thus pass the night in watching them. We bound 
our canoe firmly with a chain, and seated ourselves, the better 
to observe their motions. About nine in the evening the two 
negroes came to the banks of the river, but having discovered 
us, they feigned to fish, really holding in their hands a small 
line ; but on coming nearer to them, I saw they had no hooks. 
I desired them to go to bed, and return on the morrow^ to fish. 
One of them came close to our canoe, and threw himself into 
it, thinking he could instantly put off; but when he found it 
chained, he left it quite ashamed, and went and lay down with 
his comrade. I set off to look for Etienne, whom we sus- 
pected to have been in the plot, and told him of the design of 
the two negroes, and prayed him to assist us in watching them 
during the night. He instantly rose, and taking my father's 
gun, bade us sleep in quiet, whilst he alone would be sufficient 
to overcome them ; however, they made no farther attempt 
that night, hoping, doubtless, to be more fortunate another 
time. Next day I wrote to my father to return to Safal be- 
fore night, for that we were on the eve of losing the remain- 
der of our negroes. He returned in the evening, resolving 
never again to quit our cottage. He interrogated the negroes 
concerning their design of desertion, and asked them what 
excuse they had to plead. " We are comfortable here," re- 
plied one of them, " but we are not in our native country : our 
parents and friends are far from us. We have been deprived 
of our liberty, and we have made, and will make still farther 
efforts for its recovery." He added, addressing himself to 
my father, " If thou, Picard, my master, wert arrested when 

31* 



366 SHIPWRECK OF tHE MtD^SA. 

cultivating thy fields, and carried far, far from thy family, 
wouldst thou not endeavor to rejoin them, and recover thy li- 
berty?" My father promptly replied, "I would!" "Very 
well," continued Nakamou, " I am in the same situation as 
thyself; I am the father of a numerous family; I have yet a 
mother and some uncles ; I love my v^ife and children, and dost 
thou think it wonderful I should wish to rejoin them?" My 
unfortunate father, melted to tears with this speech, resolved 
to send them to the person from whom he had hired them, for 
fear he should lose them. If he had thought like the colo- 
nists, he would have put them in irons, and treated them like 
rebels ; but he was too kind-hearted to resort to such mea- 
sures. Some days after, the person to whom the negroes were 
sent brought us two others ; but they were so indolent we found 
it impossible to make them work. 

We however continued sowing ; and more than twenty 
thousand feet of cotton had already been added to the planta- 
tion, when our labors were stopped by war suddenly breaking 
out between the colony and the Moors. We learned that a 
part of their troops were in the island of Bokos, situated a 
short distance from our own. It was said that the Arab mer- 
chants and the Marabouts (priests of the Mussulmans) M-ho 
usually travel to Senegal on aifairs of commerce, had been 
arrested by the French soldiers. In the fear that the Moors 
would come to our island and make us prisoners, we resolved 
to go to the head-quarters of the colony, and stay there till the 
war had ceased. My father caused all his effects to be trans- 
ported to the house of the resident at Babaguey, after which 
we left our cottage and the island of Safal. Whilst Etienne 
slowly rowed the canoe which contained our family, 1 ran my 
eye over the places we were leaving, as if wishing them an 
eternal adieu. In contemplating our poor cottage, which we 
had built with such difficulty, I could not suppress my tears. 
All our plantations, thought I, will be ravaged during our ab- 
sence ; our home will be burned, and we will lose in an in- 
stant that which cost us two years of pain and fatigue. I 
was diverted from these reflections by our canoe striking 
against the shore of Babaguey. We landed there, and in 
stantly set off to the residence of M. Lerouge; but he was 
already at Senegal. We found his house filled with soldiers, 
which the governor had sent to defend that position against 
the Moors. My father then borrowed a little shallop to take 
us to Senegal. Whilst the boat was preparing we ate a mor- 
sel of millet bread I had had the precaution to make before 



StttPWRECK OF tHE MEDtTSA. 367 

we left Safal ; at last, at six in the evening we embarked for 
St. Louis, leaving our negroes at Babaguey. My father pro- 
mised to Etienne to go and rejoin him, to continue the work, 
if it was possible, as soon as we were in safety. 

It was very late before we reached Senegal. As we had 
no lodgings, a friend of my father (M. Thomas) admitted 
us, his worthy wife loading us with kindness. During our 
stay in the island of Safal, my father had made various trips 
to Senegal ; but as my sister and myself had not quitted it for 
a long time, we found ourselves in another world. The iso- 
lated manner in which we had lived, and the misfortunes we 
had endured, contributed in no small degree to give us a sa- 
vage and embarrassed appearance. Caroline especially had 
become so timid, she could not be persuaded to appear in 
company. It is true the nakedness to which we were re- 
duced, a good deal caused the repugnance we felt at seeing 
company. Having no cap but our hair, no clothes but a half- 
worn robe of coarse silk, without stockings and shoes, we felt 
much distressed in appearing thus habited before a society 
among whom we had formerly held a certain rank. The good 
lady Thomas, seeing our embarrassment, kindly dispensed 
with our appearance at table, as they had strangers in the 
house. She caused supper to be brought to our chamber, un- 
der the pretext that we were indisposed. In this manner we 
escaped the curious and imprudent regards of various young 
people who had not yet been tutored by the hand of misfor- 
tune. We learned that we were known at Senegal by diffe- 
rent names, some calling us The Hermits of the Isle of Safal, 
others, The Exiles in Africa,. 

On the morrov/ my father hired an apartment in the house 
of one of his old friends (M. Valentin.) After breakfast we 
thanked our hosts, and went to our new lodging. It consisted 
of a large chamber, the Vv-indovvs of which were under ground, 
filled with broken panes : thus, in the first night, Ave had such 
a quantity of musketoes that we thought we were yet in the 
island of Safal. On the following day my father was desi- 
rous of returning to his plantation. We in vain represented 
to him the dangers to which he exposed himself; nothing 
would divert him from his design. He promised, however, to 
go to Safal only during the day, and to sleep at the house of 
the resident at JBabaguey. He told us that it was not the war 
with the Moors alone which caused him to bring us to Sene- 
gal, but also the state of sufl^ering in which the whole family 
was. It is true, our strength was considerably diminished ; 



368 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDTJSA. 

the youngest of my brothers had been for several days at- 
tacked with a strong fever ; and we were all slightly seized 
with the same disease. My father, taking our oldest brother 
with him, left us for the isle of Safal, promising to come and 
see us every Sunday. I went with him to the court-gate, con- 
juring him, above all things, not to expose himself, and to take 
care of his health, which was so precious to us. That worthy 
man embraced me, and bade me fear nothing on that head, for 
he too well felt how necessary his life was to his children, to 
expose it imprudently. " For my health," added he, " I hope to 
preserve it long, unless Heaven has decided otherwise." With 
these words he bid me adieu, and went away ; I returned to 
the house and gave free vent to my tears. I know not what 
presentiment then seized me, for I felt as if I had seen my fa- 
ther for the last time ; and it Avas only at the end of the third 
day, on receiving a letter written with his own hand, that I 
could divest myself of these gloomy ideas. He told us he was 
very well, and that all was quiet at Safal. On the same day I 
wrote to inform him of the condition of our young brother, who 
was a little better during the evening ; I sent him at the same 
time some loaves of new bread and three bottles of wine, which 
a generous person had the goodness to give us. On the follow- 
ing Sunday we sat waiting his arrival, but a frightful tempest 
that raged during all the day, deprived us of that pleasure ; 
we, however, received accounts from him every two days, 
which were always satisfactory. 

About the 1st of August, 1819, the best friend of my fa- 
ther, M. Dard, v/ho, from the commencement of our misfor- 
tunes had not withheld his helping hand from us, came to an- 
nounce his approaching departure for France, and to bid us 
farewell. We congratulated him on the happiness of leaving 
so melancholy a place as Senegal. After we had talked some 
time about our unfortunate situation, and of the little hope we 
had of ever getting out of it, that sensible man, feeling his 
tears beginning to flow, took leave of us, promising to visit 
my father in passing Babaguey. Some days after, our young 
sister became dangerously ill ; the fever attacked me also ; 
and in less than forty-eight hours all our family were seized 
with the same disease. Caroline, however, had still suffi- 
cient strength to take care of us ; and but for her assistance, 
we would all perhaps have become a prey to the malady 
which oppressed us. That good sister durst not acquaint my 
father with the deplorable condition in which we all were : 
but, alas ! she was soon obliged to tell him the melancholy 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 369 

news. I know not what passed during two days after my sis- 
ter had written my father, having been seized with delirium. 
When the fit had somewhat abated, and I had recovered my 
senses a little, I began to recognize the people who were 
about me, and I saw my father weeping near my bed. His 
presence revived the little strength I had still left. I wished to 
speak, but my ideas were so confused that I could only arti- 
culate a few unconnected words. I then learned, that after my 
father was acquainted with our dangerous condition, he had 
hastened to Senegal with my oldest brother, who also had been 
attacked. My father seemed to be no better than we were : 
but, to quiet our fears, he told us that he attributed his indispo- 
sition to a cold he had caught from sleeping on a bank of 
sand at Safal. We soon perceived that his disease was more 
of the mind than of the body. I often observed him thought- 
ful, with a wild and disquieted look. This good man, who had 
resisted with such courage all his indignities and misfortunes, 
wept like a child at the sight of his dying family. 

Meanwhile the sickness increased every day in our femily ; 
my young sister was worst. Dr. Gluincey saw her, and pre- 
scribed every remedy he thought necessary to soothe her suf- 
ferings. During the middle of the night she complained of 
great pain in her abdomen, but, after taking the medicine or- 
dered her, she fell quiet, and we believed she was asleep. 
Caroline, who watched us during the night in spite of her 
weakness, took advantage of this supposed slumber to take 
a little repose. A short while after, wishing to see if little 
Laura still slept, she raised the quilt which covered her, and 
uttered a piercing shriek. I awoke, and heard her say in a 
tremulous voice, Alas ! Laura is dead. Our weeping soon 
awoke our unhappy father. He rose, and seeing the face of 
the dead child, cried in wild despair : " It is then all over ; 
my cruel enemies have gained their victory ! They have taken 
from me the bread which I earned with the sweat of my 
brow to support my children ; they have sacrificed my family 
to their implacable hate ; let them now come and enjoy the 
fruit of their malice with the sight of the victim they have 
inmiolated ! Let them come to satiate their fury with the 
scene of misery in which they have plunged us ! O cruel 
S , thy barbarous heart cannot be that of a French- 
man !" On uttering these words, he rushed out and seated 
himself under a gallery which was at the door of the house 
in which we lived. He there remained a long while buried 
in profound meditation, during which time we could not get 



370 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

him to utter one word. At last, about six o'clock in the 
morning the physician came, and was surprised on hearing 
of the death of Laura ; then went to my father, Avho seemed to 
be insensible to every thing around him, and inquired of him 
concerning his healtli. " I am well," replied he, " and I am 
going to return to Safal ; for I always find myself best there." 
The doctor told him his own condition, as well as that of his 
family, would not allow him to leave Senegal; but he remain- 
ed inflexible. Seeing nothing would induce him to remain at 
St. Louis, I arose, weak as I was, and went to search for a 
negro and- canoe to carry us to Safal. In the meanvvhile a 
friend of ours took charge of burying the body of my sister; 
but my father wished to inter it beside the others in his island, 
and determined to take it thither along with us. Not to have, 
however, such a melancholy sight before our eyes during our 
journey, I hired a second canoe to carry the. corpse of poor 
Laura ; and attaching it to the one in which we were, we took 
our young brothers in our arms and set off. Having arrived 
opposite the house possessed by M. Thomas, my father felt 
himself greatly indisposed. I profited by the circumstance, 
by getting him to go to the house of his friend ; hoping we 
would persuade him against going to Safal. He consented 
without difficulty; but we had scarcely entered the house 
when he was again taken very ill. We instantly called a 
physician, who found in him the seeds of a most malignant 
fever. We laid him down, and all the family wept around 
his bed, whilst the canoe which carried the remains of our 
young sister proceeded to Safal. M. Thomas undertook to 
procure us a house more healthy than that we had quitted ; 
but the condition of my father was such that he found it im- 
possible to walk, and we had to put him in a litter to take him 
to our new habitation. All the worthy people of Senegal 

could not contain their indignation against Governor S , 

whose inhuman conduct toward our family had been the prin- 
cipal cause of all our misfortunes. They went to his house, 
and boldly told him it was a shame for the chief of the colony 
thus to allow an unfortunate family entirely to perish. JVI. 

S , either touched with these reproaches, or at last being 

moved by more friendly feelings toward us, caused provisions 
secretly to be sent to our house. We received them under 
the persuasion they had been sent by some friend of my fa- 
ther ; but having at last learned they had come from the go- 
vernor, my father bid me return them to him. I knew not 
what to do, for a part of the provisions had already been con- 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 371 

sumed ; and beside, the distressed condition to which we 
were reduced made me flatter myself with the thought that 
the governor wished at last to make amends for the wrongs 
he had done us. But, alas ! his assistance was too late ; the 
fatal moment was fast approaching, when my father had to 
bend under the pressure of his intolerable sufferings. 

The day after we had taken possession of our new abode, 
my father sent me to the Isle of Babaguey to bring back the 
things which were left at the house of the Resident. As I 
found myself considerably better during the last few days, I 
hired a canoe and went, leaving the sick to the care of Caro- 
line. I soon reached the place of my destination, and finish- 
ing my business, I was upon the point of returning to Sene- 
gal, when a wish came into my head of seeing Safal. Hav- 
ing made two negroes take me to the other side of the river, 
I walked along the side of the plantation, then visited our cot- 
tage, which I found just as we had left it. At last I bent my 
steps toward the tomb of my step-mother, in which were de- 
posited the remains of my little sister. I seated myself under 
the shrubs which shaded the place of their repose, and re- 
mained a long while wrapped in the most melancholy reflec- 
tions. All the misfortunes we had experienced since our ship- 
wreck came across my mind, and I asked myself how I had 
been able to endure them 1 I thought that at this instant a 
secret voice said to me, you will yet have greater to deplore. 
Terrified by this melancholy presentiment, I strove to rise, 
but my strength failing me, I fell on my knees upon the grave. 
After having addressed my prayers to the Eternal, I felt a lit- 
tle more tranquil ; and, quitting this melancholy spot, old 
Etienne led me back to Babaguey, where my canoe waited 
for me. The heat was excessive ; however, I endured it, 
rather than wait for the coolness of evening to return to my 
father. On my arrival at St. Louis I found him in a violent 
passion at a certain personage of the colony, w-ho, without any 
regard to his condition, had said the most humiliating things 
to him. This scene had contributed in no small degree to ag- 
gravate his illness ; for on the evening of the same day the 
fever returned, and a terrible delirium darkened all his facul- 
ties. We spent a horrible night, expecting every moment to 
be his last. The following day found little change in his con- 
dition, except a small glimmering of reason at intervals. In 
one of these moments, when we hoped he would recover his 
health, M. Dard, whom we thought already far from Senegal, 
entered our house. My father instantly recognized him, and 



372 SHIPWRECK OF THB MEDUSA. 

making him sit near his bed, took his hand and said, '• My last 
hour is come ; Heaven, to whose decrees I humbly submit, 
will soon remove me from this world ; but one consolation 
remains with me — the thought that you will not abandon my 
children. I recommend to you my oldest daughter ; you are 
dear to her, doubt not ; would she were your wife, and that 
you were to her, as you have always been to me, a sincere 
friend." On saying these words he took my hands and pressed 
them to his burning lips. Tears suffocated my voice, but I 
pressed him tenderly in my arms ; and as he saw I was ex- 
tremely affected with his situation, he quickly said to me, "My 
daughter, I have need of rest." 1 instantly quitted him, and 
was joined by M. Dard, when we retired to another room, 
where we found Caroline and the good Madame Thomas. 
This worthy friend seeing the deplorable condition to which 
we were reduced, endeavored to console us, and to give us hope, 
saying, that having heard of my father's illness on board the 
brig Vigilant, in which he had embarked at the port of St. 
Louis, he had obtained leave to come on shore, and to go and 
offer us some assistance : after which he left us, promising to 
return on the morrow. 

Toward the middle of the night of the 1 5th of August, 1819, 
it struck me that rny father wished to speak with me. I drew 
near him, and seeing him pale, and his eyes wild, I turned 
away my head to conceal the tears which I could not sup- 
press ; but having perceived my distress, he said to me in a 
mournful voice, "Why are you so much afflioted, my child? 
My last hour approaches, I cannot escape it ; then summon 
all the strength of your soul to bear it with courage. My 
conscience is pure, I have nothing with which to reproach 
myself: I will die in peace, if you promise to protect the chil- 
dren whom I will soon leave. Tell also to feeling hearts ths 
long train of unintern.ipted misfortunes which have assailed 
me : tell the abandoned condition in which we have lived : and 
tell at last, that in dying I forgave my enemies all the evils 
they had made me and my family endure !" At these words 
I fell upon his bed, and cried, " Yes, dear father, I promise to 
do all you require of me." I was yet speaking when Caro- 
line entered the chamber, and throwing herself upon his bed, 
tenderly embraced him, whilst he held me by the hand. We 
gazed on one another in profound silence, which was only in- 
terrupted by our sighs. During this heart-rending scene my 
iather again said to me, " My good Charlotte, 1 thank you for 
all the care you have bestowed on me ; I die, but I leave you 




WRECK OF THE ALBION PACKET. 

Lost on the coast of Ireland, April 2-2nd, 1822. Of the crew and pas- 
sengers, there were but nine saved. — p. 447. 




EXPLOSION or THE HELEN MAC GREGOR, 

A steam boat lying at the wharf at Memphis, with between four and 
five hundred persons on board. — p. 453. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 373 

to the protection of friends who will not abandon you. Never 
forget the obligations you already owe M. Dard. Heaven 
assist you I Farewell, I go before you to a better world." 
These words, pronounced with difficulty, were the last he ut- 
tered. He instantly became much convulsed. All the phy- 
sicians of the colony were called, but the medicine they pre- 
scribed produced no effect. In this condition he remained for 
more than six hours, during which time we stood suspended 
between hope and despair. O horrible night ! night of sorrow 
and desolation ! w^ho can describe all which the unfortunate 
family of Picard suffered during thy terrible reign ! But the 
fatal period approached ; the physician who prescribed went 
out ; I followed, and, still seeking for some illusion in the mis- 
fortune which menaced us, I tremblingly interrogated him. 
The worthy man would not dissemble : he took me by the 
hand and said. My dear lady, the moment is arrived when you 
have need to arm yourself w^ith courage ; it is all over with 
M. Picard ; you must submit to the will of God. These words 
were a thunderbolt to me. I instantly returned, bathed in tears ; 
but alas ! my father was no more. 

Such an irreparable misfortune plunged us into a condition 
worse than death. Without ceasing, I besought them to put 
a period to my deplorable life. The friends about me used 
every endeavor to calm me, but my soul was in the depth of 
affiiction, and their consolations reached it not. " O God !" 
cried I, "how is it possible thou canst yet let me live ? Oug^it 
not the misery I feel to make me follow my father lo the 
grave ?" It was necessary to employ force to keep me from 
that plan of horror and dismay. Mad. Thomas took us to her 
Jiouse whilst our friends prepared for the funeral of my un- 
happy father. I remained insensible a long while; and when 
somewhat recovered, my first care was to pray the people with 
whom we lived to carry the body of my father to the isle of 
Safal, to be deposited, agreeably to his request, near the re- 
mains of his wife. Our friends accompanied it. Some hour:; 

after the departure of the funeral procession. Governor S , 

doubtless reproaching himself with the helpless condition in 
which we had been left for so long a time, gave orders to take 
care of the remainder of our unfortunate family. He himself 
came to the house of M. Thomas. His presence made such 
an impression on me that I swooned away. We did not, how- 
ever, refuse the assistance he offered us, convinced, as we were, 
that it was less to the governor of Senegal we were indebted 

32 



374 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA, 

than to the French government, whose intentions he was only 
fulfilling. 

Several days passed before I could moderate my sorrow ; 
but at last our friends represented to me the duties 1 owed to 
the orphans who were left with us, and to whom I had pro- 
mised to hold the place of mother. Then rousing myself 
from my lethargy, and recollecting the obligations I had to 
fulfill, I bestoAved all my affections on the innocent beings 
whom my father had confided to me in his dying moments. 
Nevertheless, I was not at rest ; the desire of seeing the place 
where reposed the mortal remains of my worthy father tor- 
mented me. They wished to dissuade me; but when they 
saw I had been frequently weeping in private, thej" no longer 
withheld me. I went alone to Safal, leaving Caroline to take 
charge of the children, two of \a hom were still in a dangerous 
condition. What changes did I find at our cottage ! The 
person from whom we had hired our negroes had secretly 
removed them ; rank Aveeds sprung up every Avhere : the 
cotton withered for want of cultivation ; the fields of millet, 
maize, and beans, had been devoured by the herds of cattle 
from the colony; our house was half plundered: the bocks 
and papers of my father taken away. Old Etienne still re- 
mained ; I found him cultivating cotton. As soon as he saw 
me he drew near ; and having inquired if he wished to remain 
at the plantation, he replied, "I could stay here all ray life; 
my good master is no more, but he is still here ; I wish to 
work for the support of his children." I promised in m^^^ turn 
to take care of him during my stay in Africa. At last I bent 
my steps toward my father's grave. The shrubs Avhich sur- 
rounded it were covered with the most beautiful verdure ; 
their thorny branches hung over it as if to shield it from the 
rays of the sun. The silence which reigned around this soli- 
tary place was only interrupted by the songs of the birds and 
the rustling of the foliage agitated by a faint breeze. At the 
sight of this sacred retreat I suddenly felt myself penetrated 
by a religious sentiment, and falling on my knees upon the 
grass, and resting my head upon the humid stone, remained a 
long while in deep meditation. Then starting up, I cried, 
" Dear remains of the best of fathers ! I come not hither to 
disturb your repose ; but I come to ask of Him who is omni- 
potent, resignation to his august decrees. I come to promise 
also to the worthy author of my existence, to give all my care 
to the orphans whom he has left on earth. 1 also promise to 
make known to feeling hearts all the misfortunes he experi- 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 375 

enced before being- driven to the tomb." After a short prayer, 
I arose and returned to the cottage. To consecrate a monu- 
ment to the memory of my father, I took two cocoa-nuts, which 
he had planted some time previous to his death, and replanted 
them beside the grave ; I then gave my orders to Etienne, and 
returned to the family at Senegal. 

Next day M. Dard came to see us at the house of M. Tho- 
mas. This worthy friend of my father told us he would not 
abandon in Senegal the orphans whom he had promised to 
assist. I come, added he, to return to the governor the leave 
he had given me to pass six months in France, and I charge 
myself with providing for all your wants till I can conyej'- 
you to Paris. Such generous devotion affected me to tears ; I 
tlianked our worthy benefactor, and he went into Madame 
Thomas's room. When he had gone, Madame Thomas took 
me aside, and said that M. Dard's intention was not only to 
adopt the wrecks of our family, but he wished also to offer 
me his hand as soon as our grief had subsided. This confi- 
dence, I own, displeased me not ; for it was delightful for me 
to think that so excellent a man, who had already given us 
such substantial assistance in our distress, did not think him- 
self degraded by uniting his fate with that of a poor orphan. 
I recollected what my father had said to me during one of our 
greatest misfortunes. " M. Dard," said that worthy man, "is 
an estimable youth, whose attachment for us has never dimi- 
nished, in spite of our wretchedness : and I am certain he pre- 
fers virtue in a wife above all other riches." 

Some days after, our benefactor came to tell us he had dis- 
embarked all his effects, and that he had resumed his func- 
tions as director of the French school at Senegal. We talked 
a long while together concerning my father's affairs, and he 
then left us. However, as one of my brothers was very ill, 
he returned in the evening to see how he was. He found us 
in tears ; for the innocent creature had expired in my arms. 
M. Dard and M. Thomas instantly buried him, for his body 
had already become putrid. We took great care to conceal 
his death from his brother, who, having a mind superior to 
his age, would doubtless have been greatly affected. Never- 
theless, on the following day, poor Charles inquired where 
his brother Gustavus was ; M. Dard, who was sitting near his 
bed, told him he was at school; but he discovered the cheat, 
and cried, weeping, that he wished a hat to go to school and 
see if Gustavus was really living. M. Dard had the kindness 
to go and purchase him one to quiet him, which, when he saw. 



376 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

he was satisfied, and waited till the morrow to go and see if 
his brother was at school. This young victim to misery drag- 
ged out his melancholy existence during two months ; and 
about the end of October we had the misfortune of losing 
him also. 

This last blow plunged me into a gloomy melancholy. I 
was indifferent to every thing. I had seen in three months 
nearly all my relations die, A young orphan, (Alphonso 
Fleury,) our cousin, aged five years, to whom my father was 
tutor, and whom he had always considered as his own cPiild^ 
my sister Caroline, and myself, were all that remained of the 
unfortunate Picard family, who, on setting out for Africa, con- 
sisted of nine. We, too, had nearly followed our dear parents 
to the grave. Our friends, however, by their great care and 
attention, got us by degrees to recover our composure, and 
chased from our thoughts the cruel recollections which afflict- 
ed us. We recovered our tranquillity, and dared at last to che- 
rish the hope of seeing more fortunate days. That hope was 
not delusive. Our benefactor, M. Dard, since then having 
become my husband, gathered together the wrecks of our 
wretched family, and has proved himself worthy of being a 
father to us. My sister Caroline afterward married M. Richard, 
agricultural botanist, attached to the agricultural establish- 
ment of the colony. 

Leaving Senegal with my husband and the young Alphonso 
Fleury, my cousin, on board his majesty's ship Menagere, on 
the 18th of November, 1820, we safely arrived at L' Orient 
on the 31st December following. A few days after our land- 
ing we went to Paris, where we remained two months. At 
last we reached my husband's native place, at Bligny-so^is- 
Beaune, in the department of the Cote d'Or, where I have had 
the happiness of finding new relations, whose tender friend- 
ship consoles me in part for the loss of those of whom cruel 
death deprived me in Africa. 



The following is the substance, abridged from MM. Cor- 
reard and Savigny, of what took place on the raft during 
thirteen days before the sufferers were taken up by the Ar- 
gus brig. 

After the boats had disappeared, the consternation became 
extreme. All the horrors of thirst and famine passed before 
our imaginations ; beside, we had to contend with a treache- 
rous element, which already covered the half of our bodies. 
The deep stupor of the soldiers and sailors instantly changed 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 377 

to despair. All saw their inevitable destination, and express- 
ed by their moans the dark thoughts which brooded in their 
minds. Our wcrds were at first unavailing to quiet their 
fears, ^vhich we participated with them, but which a greater 
strength of mind enabled us to dissemble. At last, an unmo- 
ved countenance and our proffered consolations quieted them 
by degrees, but could not entirely dissipate the terror with 
which they were seized. 

When tranquillity w^as a little restored, we began to search 
about .the raft for the charts, the compass, and the anchor, 
which we presumed had been placed upon it, after what we 
had been told at the time of quitting the frigate.* These 
things, of the first importance, had not been placed upon our 
machine. Above all, the want of a compass the most alarm- 
ed us, and we gave vent to our rage and vengeance. M. 
Correard then remembered he had seen one in the hands of 
one of the principal workmen under his command ; he spoke 
to the man, who replied, " Yes, yes, I have it with me." 
This information transported us with joy, and we believed 
that our safety depended upon this futile resource ; it was 
about the size of a cro^Ti-piece, and very incorrect. Those 
who have not been in situations in w^hich their existence was 
exposed to extreme peril, can have but a faint knowledge of 
the price one attaches to the simplest objects — with what avi- 
dity one seizes the slighest means capable of mitigating that 
fate against which they contend. The compass was given to 
the commander of the raft, but an accident deprived us of it 
for ever : it fell, and disappeared between the pieces of wood 
which formed our machine. We had kept it but a few hours, 
and, after its loss, had nothing to guide us but the rising and 
setting of the sun. 

We had all gone afloat without taking any food. Hunger 
beginning to be imperiously felt, we mixed our paste of sea- 
biscuit (which had fallen into the sea, and was with difficulty 
recovered) with a little wine, and distributed it thus prepared. 
Such was our first meal, and the best we had during our stay 
upon the raft. 

* M. Correard, fearing that on the event of their being separated 
from the boats by any unforeseen accident, called from the raft to an 
officer on board the frigate, " Are we in a condition to take the route 1 
— ^have we instruments and charts V got the following reply : " Yes, 
yes, I have provided for you every necessary." M. Correard a^ain 
called to him, " Who was to be their commander V when the same 
officer said: " Tis I; I will be with you in an instant;" but he in- 
stantly went and seated himself in one of the boats ! — Trans. 

32* 



378 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

An order, according to our numbers, was established for the 
distribution of our miserable provisions. The ration of wine 
was fixed at three quarters a day.* We will speak no more 
of the biscuit, it having been entirely consumed at the first 
distribution. The day passed away sufficiently tranquil. We 
talked of the means by which we would save ourselves ; we 
spoke of it as a certain circumstance, which reanimated our 
courage ; and we sustained that of the soldiers, by cherishing 
in them the hope of being able, in a short while, to revenge 
themselves on those who had so basely abandoned us. This 
hope of vengeance, it must be avowed, equally animated us 
all ; and we poured out a thousand imprecations against those 
who had left us a prey to so much misery and danger. 

The officer who commanded the raft being unable to move, 
M. Savigny took upon himself the duty of erecting the mast. 
He caused them to cut in two one of the poles of the frigate's 
masts, and fixed it with the rope which had served to tow us, 
and of which we made stays and shrowds. It was placed on 
tlie anterior third of the raft. We put up for a sail the main- 
top-gallant, which trimmed very well, but was of very little 
use, except when the wind served from behind ; and to keep 
the raft in this course, we w^ere obliged to trim the sail as if the 
breeze blew athwart us. 

In the evening, our hearts and our prayers, by a feeling 
natural to the unfortunate, were turned towards Heaven. 
Sutrounded by inevitable dangers, we addressed that invisible 
Being who has established, and who maintains the order of 
the universe. Our vows were fervent, and we experienced 
from our prayers the cheering influence of hope. It is ne- 
cessary -^to have been in similar situations, before one can 
rightly imagine what a charm it is to the heart of the sufferer, 
the sublime idea of God protecting the unfortunate ! 

One consoling thought still soothed our imagination. We 
persuaded ourselves that the little division had gone to the 
isle of Arguin, and that, after it had set a part of its people 
on shore, the rest would return to our assistance; we endea- 
vored to impress this idea on our soldiers and sailors, which 
quieted them. The night came without our hope being reali- 
zed ; the wind freshened, and the sea was considerably swell- 
ed. What a horrible night ! The thought of seeing the 
boats on the morrow a little consoled our men, the greater 
part of whom, being unaccustomed with the sea, fell on one 

* The original French is trots quarts, which certainly cannot mean 
ikree quarts ; in all probability it is three pints.— Trxnss. 



SHIPWRECK or THE MEDtSA. 379 

another at each movement of the raft. M. Savigny, second- 
ed by some people who still preserved their presence of mind 
amidst the disorder, stretched cords across the raft, by which 
the men held, and were better able to resist the swell of the 
sea ; some were even obliged to fasten themselves. In the 
middle of the night the weather was very rough ; huge waves 
burst upon us, sometimes overturning us with great violence. 
The cries of the men mingled with the roaring of the flood, 
whilst the terrible sea raised us at every instant from the raft, 
and threatened to sweep us away. This scene was rendered 
still more terrible by the horrors inspired by the darkness of 
the night. Suddenly we believed we saw fires in the distance, 
at intervals. We had the precaution to hang at the top of 
the mast, the gunpowder and pistols which we had brought 
from the frigate. We made signals by burning a large quan- 
tity of cartridges ; we even fired some pistols ; but it seems 
the fire we saw was nothing but an error of vision, or, per- 
haps, nothing more than the sparkling of the waves. 

We struggled w4th death during the whole of the night, 
holding firmly by the ropes, which were made very secure. 
Tossed by the waves from the back to the front, and from the 
front to the back, and sometimes precipitated into the sea ; 
floating between life and death, mourning our misfortunes, 
certain of perishing ; we disputed, nevertheless, the remain- 
der of our existence with that cruel element which threaten- 
ed to ingulf us. Such was our condition till day-break. At 
every instant we heard the lamentable cries of the soldiers 
and sailors; they prepared for death, bidding farewell to one 
another, imploring the protection of Heaven, and addressing 
fervent prayers to God. Every one made vows to him, in 
spite of the certainty of never being able to accomplish them. 
Frightful situation ! How is it possible to have any idea of it, 
which will not fall short of the reality ! 

Toward seven in the morning the sea fell a little, the wind 
blew with less fury ; but what a scene presented itself to our 
view ! Ten or twelve unfortunates, having their inferior ex- 
tremities fixed in the openings between the pieces of the raft, 
had perished by being unable to disengage themselves ; seve- 
ral others were swept away by the violence of the sea. At 
the hour of repast we took the numbers anew ; we had lost 
twenty men. We will not afiirm that this was the exact 
number: for we perceived some soldiei's who, to have more 
than their share, took rations for two, and even three ; we 
were so huddled together that we found it absolutely impos- 
sible to prevent this abuse. 



380 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

In the midst of these horrors a touching scene of filial piety 
drew our tears. Two young men raised and recognized their 
father, who had fallen, and was lying insensible among the 
feet of the people. They believed him, at first, dead, and their 
despair was express-ed in the most afflicting manner. It was 
perceived, however, that he still breathed, and every assist- 
ance was rendered for his recovery in our power. He slowly 
revived, and was restored to life, and to the prayers of his 
sons, who supported him, closely folded in their arms. Whilst 
our hearts were softened by this aftecting episode in our me- 
lancholy adventures, we had soon to witness the sad spectacle 
of a dark contrast. Two ship-boys and a baker feared not 
to seek death, and threw themselves into the sea, after having 
bid farewell to their companions in misfortune. Already the 
minds of our people were singularly altered ; some believed 
they saw land, others, ships which were coming to save us ; 
all talked aloud of their fallacious visions. 

We lamented the loss of our unfortunate companions. At 
this moment we were far from anticipating the still more ter- 
rible scene which took place on the following night ; far from 
that, we enjoyed a positive satisfaction, so well were we per- 
suaded that the boats would return to our assistance. The 
day was fine, and the most perfect tranquillity reigned all the 
while on our raft. The evening came, and no boats appear- 
ed. Despondency began to seize our men, and then a spirit 
of insubordination manifested itself in cries of rage. The 
voice of the officers was entirely disregarded. Night fell 
rapidly in, the sky was obscured by dark clouds ; the wind, 
which, during the whole of the day, had blown rather violent- 
ly, feecame furious and swelled the sea, which in an instant, 
became very rough. 

The preceding night had been frightful, but this was still 
more so. Mountains of water covered us at every instant, 
and burst with fury into the midst of us. Yerj fortunately 
we had the wind from behind, and the strength of the sea was 
a little broken by the rapidity with which we were driven 
before it. We were impelled toward the land. The men, 
from the violence of the sea, were hurried from the back to 
the front ; we were obliged to keep to the centre, the firmest 
part of the raft, and those who could not get there, almost all 
perished. Before and behind the waves dashed impetuouslj'- 
and swept away the men in spite of all their resistance. At 
the centre the pressure was such that some unfortunates were 
suffocated by the weight of their comrades, who fell upon 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 381 

them at every instant. The officers kept by the foot of the 
little mast, and were obliged every moment to call to those 
around them to go to the one or the other side to avoid the 
wave ; for the sea coming nearly athwart us, gave our raft 
nearly a perpendicular position, to counteract which they 
were forced to throw themselves upon the side raised by the 
sea. 

The soldiers and sailors, frightened by the presence of al- 
most inevitable danger, doubted not that they had reached their 
last hour. Firmly believing they were lost, they resolved to 
soothe their last moments by drinking till they lost their rea- 
son. We had no power to oppose this disorder. They seiz- 
ed a cask which was in the centre of the raft, made a hole in 
the end of it, and with small tin cups took each a pretty large 
quantity : but they were obliged to cease, for the sea-water 
rushed into the hole they had made. The fumes of the wine 
failed not to disorder their brains, already weakened by the 
presence of danger and want of food. Thus excited, these 
men became deaf to the voice of reason. They wished to 
involve in one common ruin all their companions in misfor- 
tune. They avowedly expressed their intention of freeing 
themselves from their officers, who, they said, wished to op- 
pose their design, and then to destroy the raft, by cutting the 
ropes which united its different parts. Immediately after 
they resolved to put their plans in execution. One of them 
advanced upon the side of the raft with a boarding-ax, and 
began to cut the cords. This was the signal of revolt. We 
stepped forward to prevent these insane mortals, and he who 
was armed with a hatchet, with which he even threatened an 
officer, fell the first victim : a stroke of the sabre terminated 
his existence. 

This man was an Asiatic, and a soldier in a colonial regi- 
ment. Of a coilossal stature, short hair, a nose extremely 
large, an enormous mouth, dark complexion, he made a most 
hideous appearance. At first he placed himself in the mid- 
dle of the raft, and at each blow of his fist knocked down 
every one who opposed him ; he inspired the greatest terror, 
and none durst approach him. Had there been six such, our 
destruction would have been certain. 

Some men, anxious to prolong their existence, armed and 
united themselves with those who wished to preserve the raft ; 
among this number were some subaltern officers and many 
passengers. The rebels drew their sabres, and those who 
had none armed themselves with knives. They advanced 



382 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA, 

in a determined manner upon us ; we stood on our defence ; 
the attack commenced. Animated by despair, one of them 
aimed a strok«! at an officer ; the rebel instantly fell, pierced 
with wounds. This firmness awed them for an instant, but 
diminished nothing of their rage. They ceased to advance, 
and withdrew, presenting to us a front bristling with sabres 
and bayonets, to the back part of the raft, to execute their 
plan. One of them feigned to rest himself on the small rail- 
ings on the sides of the raft, and with a knife began cutting 
the cords. Being told by a servant, one of us sprung upon 
him. A soldier, wishing to defend him, struck at the officer 
with his knife, which only pierced his coat ; the officer wheel- 
ed round, seized his adversary, and threw both him and his 
comrade into the sea. 

There had been as yet but partial affairs: the combat now 
became general. Some one cried to lower the sail ; a crowd 
of infuriated mortals threw themselves in an instant upon the 
haulyards, and shrouds, and cut them. The fall of the mast 
almost broke the thigh of a captain of infantry, who fell in- 
sensible. He was seized by the soldiers, who threw him into 
the sea. We saved him and placed him on a barrel, whence 
he was taken by the rebels, who wished to put out his eyes 
with a penknife. Exasperated by so much brutality, we no 
longer restrained ourselves, but rushed in upon them, and 
charged them with fury. Sword in hand, we traversed the 
line which the soldiers formed, and many paid with their lives 
the errors of their revolt. Various passengers, during these 
cruel moments, evinced the greatest courage and coolness. 

M. Correard fell into a sort of swoon ; but hearing at eve- 
ry instant the cries, To arms I with us, comrades ; we are 
lost ! joined with the groans and imprecations of the wounded 
and dying, was soon roused from his lethargy. All this hor- 
rible tumult speedily made him comprehend how necessary it 
was to be upon his guard. Armed with his sabre, he gath- 
ered together some of his workmen on the front of the raft, 
and there charged them to hurt no one, unless they were at- 
tacked. He almost always remained with them ; and sev- 
eral times they had to defend themselves against the rebels, 
who, swimming round to the point of the raft, placed M. Cor- 
reard and his little troop between two dangers, and made their 
position very difficult to defend. At every instant he was op- 
posed to men armed with knives, sabres, and bayonets. Ma- 
ny had carabines, which they wielded as clubs. Every effort 
was made to stop them, by holding them off at the point of 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 383 

their swords ; which, in spite of the repugnance they experi' 
enced in fighting with their wretched countrymen, they were 
compelled to use without mercy. Many of the mutineers at- 
tacked with fury, and they were obliged to repel them in the 
-^me manner. Some of the laborers received severe wounds 
in this action. Their commander could show a great num- 
ber received in the different campaigns. At last their united 
efforts prevailed in dispersing this mass w^ho had attacked 
them with such fury. 

During this combat, M. Correard was told by one of his 
workmen who remained faithful, that one of their comrades, 
named Dominique, had gone over to the rebels, and that they 
had seized and thrown him into the sea. Immediately for- 
getting the fault and treason of this man, he threw himself in 
at the place whence the voice of the wretch was heard calling 
for assistance, seized him by the hair, and had the good for- 
tune to restore him on board. Dominique had got several 
sabre wounds in a charge, one of which had laid open his 
head. In spite of the darkness, we found out the wound, 
which seemed very large. One of the workmen gave his 
handkerchief to bind and stop the blood. Our care recovered 
the wretch; but when he had collected strength, the ungrate- 
ful Dominique, forgetting at once his duty and the signal ser- 
vice which we had rendered him, went and rejoined the re- 
bels. So much baseness and insanit}'- did not go unrevenged ; 
and soon after he found, in a fresh assault, that death from 
which he was not worthy to be saved, but which he might in 
all probability have avoided, if, true to honor and gratitude, 
he had remained among us 

Just at the moment we finished dressing the wounds of Do- 
minique, another voice was heard. It was that of the unfor- 
tunate female who was with us on the raft, and whom the 
infuriated beings had thrown into the sea, as well as her hus- 
band, who had defended her with courage. M. Correard, in 
despair at seeing two unfortunates perish, whose pitiful cries, 
especially the woman's, pierced his heart, seized a large rope 
which he found on the front of the raft, which he fastened 
round his middle, and throwing himself a second time into the 
sea, was again so fortunate as to save the woman, who invo- 
ked, with all her might, the assistance of our Lady of Land. 
Her husband w^as rescued at the same time by the head work- 
man, Lavilette. We laid these unfortunates upon the deaol 
bodies, supporting their backs with a barrel. In a short while 
they recovered their senses. The first thing the woman did 



384 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

was to acquaint herself with the name of the person who sa- 
ved her, and to express to him her liveliest gratitude. Find- 
ing, doubtless, that her words but ill expressed her feelings, 
she recollected she had in her pocket a little snuff, and in- 
stantly offered it to him — it was all she possessed. Touch- 
ed with the gift, but unable to use it, M. Correard gave it to a 
poor sailor, which served him for three or four days. But it 
is impossible for us to describe a still more affecting scene — 
the joy this unfortunate couple testified, when they had suf- 
ficiently recovered their senses, at finding they were both 
saved. 

The rebels being repulsed, as it has been stated above, left 
us a little repose. The moon lighted with her melancholy 
rays this disastrous raft, this narrow space, on which we found 
united so many torturing anxieties, so many cruel misfortunes, 
a madness so insensate, a courage so heroic, and the most ge- 
nerous, the most amiable sentiments of nature and humanity. 

The man and wife, who had been but a little before stab- 
bed with swords and bayonets and thrown both together into 
a stormy sea, could scarcely credit their senses when they 
found themselves in one another's arms. The woman was a 
native of the Upper Alps, which place she had left twenty- 
four years before, and during which time she had followed 
the French armies in the campaigns in Italy, and other pla- 
ces, as a sutler. " Therefore preserve my life," said she to M. 
Correard, " you see I am an useful woman. Ah ! if you 
knew how often I had ventured upon the field of battle, and 
braved death to carry assistance to our gallant men ' Whe- 
ther they had money or not, I always let them have my goods. 
Sometimes a battle would deprive me of my poor debtors ; 
but, after the victory, others would pay me double or triple 
for what they had consumed before the engagement. Thus I 
came in for a share of their victories." Unfortunate woman ! 
she little knew what a horrible fate awaited her among us ! 
They felt, they expressed so vividly that happiness which 
they, alas ! so shortly enjoyed, that it would have drawn tears 
from the most obdurate heart. But in that horrible moment 
when we scarcely breathed from the most furious attack — 
when we were obliged to be continually on our guard, not 
only against the violence of the men, but a most boisterous 
sea, few among us had time to attend to scenes of conjugal 
affection. 

After this second check, the rage of the soldiers was sud- 
denly^appeased, and gave place to the most abject cowardice. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 385 

Several threw themselves at our feet and implored our par- 
don, which was instantly granted. Thinking that order was 
re-established, we returned to our station on the centre of the 
raft, only taking the precaution of keeping our arms. We, 
however, had soon to prove the impossibility of counting on 
the permanence of any honest sentiment in the hearts of these 
beings. 

It was nearly midnight ; and, after an hour of apparent tran- 
quillity, the soldiers rose afresh. Their mind was entirely 
gone ; they ran upon us in despair, with knives and sabres in 
their hands. As they yet had all their physical strength, and 
beside were armed, we were obliged again to stand on our 
defence. Their revolt became still more dangerous, as, in 
their delirium, they were entirely deaf to the voice of reason. 
They attacked us, we charged them in our turn, and immedi- 
ately the raft was strewed with their dead bodies. Those of 
our adversaries who had no weapons, endeavored to tear us 
with their sharp teeth. Many of us were cruelly bitten. M. 
Savigny was torn on the legs and shoulder; he also received 
a wound on the right arm, which deprived him of the use of 
his fourth and little finger for a long while. Many others 
were wounded ; and many cuts were found in our clothes, 
from knives and sabres. 

One of our Vv'orkmen was also seized by four of the rebels, 
who wished to throw him into the sea. One of them had laid 
hold of his right leg, and had bit most unmercifully the ten- 
don above the heel ; others were striking him with great 
slashes of their sabres, and with the but end of their guns, 
when his cries made us hasten to his assistance. In this af- 
fair the brave Lavilette, ex-serjeant of the foot artillery of the 
Old Guard, behaved with a courage worthy of the greatest 
praise. He rushed upon the infuriated beings in the manner 
of M. Correard, and soon snatched the workman from the 
danger which menaced him. Some short while after, in a 
fresh attack of the rebels, Sub-lieutenant Lozach fell into their 
hands. In their delirium they had taken him for Lieute- 
nant Danglas, of whom we have formely spoken, and who 
had abandoned the raft at the moment when we were quitting 
the frigate. The troop, to a man, eagerly sought this officer, 
who had seen Uttle service, and whom they reproached for 
having used them ill during the time they garrisoned the Isle 
of Rhe. We believed this officer lost, but hearing his voice, 
we soon found it still possible to save him. Immediately MM. 
Clairet, Savigny, L'Heureux, Lavilette, Coudin, Correard, 

33 



386 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

and some other workmen, formed themselves into small pla- 
toons, and rushed upon the insurgents with great impetuosity, 
overturning every one in their way, and retook M. Lozach, 
and placed him on the centre of the raft. 

The preservation of this officer cost us infinite difficulty. 
Every moment the soldiers demanded he should be delivered 
to them, designating him always by the name of Danglas. 
We endeavored to make them comprehend their mistake, and 
told them that they themselves had seen the person for whom 
they sought, return on board the frigate. They were insensi- 
ble to every thing Ave said ; every thing before them was 
Danglas; they saw him perpetually, and furiously and un* 
ceasingly demanded his head. It was only by force of arms 
we succeeded in repressing their rage and quieting their 
cries of death. 

Horrible night ! thou shrouded with thy gloomy veil these 
frightful combats, over w^hich presided the cruel demon of 
despair. 

We had also to tremble for the life of M. Coudin. Wound- 
ed and fatigued by the attacks which he had sustained with 
us, and in which he had shown a courage superior to every 
thing, he was resting himself on a barrel, holding in his arms 
a young sailor boy of twelve years of age, to whom he had 
attached himself The mutineers seized him with his barrel 
and threw him into the sea with the boy, whom he still held 
fast. In spite of his burden, he had the presence of mind to 
lay hold of the raft, and to save himself from extreme peril. 

We cannot yet comprehend how a handful of men should 
have been able to resist such a number so monstrously insane. 
We are sure we were not more than twenty to combat all 
these madmen. Let it not, however, be imagined that in the 
midst of all these dangers we had preserved our reason en- 
tire. Fear, anxiety, and the most cruel privations, had great- 
ly changed our intellectual faculties. But being somewhat 
less insane than the unfortunate soldiers, we energetically op- 
posed their determination of cutting the cords of the raft. 
Permit us now to make some observations concerning the dif- 
ferent sensations with which we were affected. 

During the first day, M. Griffin entirely lost his senses. 
He threw himself into the sea, but M. Savigny saved him 
with his own hands. His words were vague and unconnect- 
ed. A second time he threw himself in, but, by a sort of in- 
stinct, kept hold of the cross pieces of the rafl, and was again 
saved. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 387 

The following is what M. Savigny experienced in the 
beginning of the night. His eyes closed in spite of him- 
self, and he felt a general drowsiness. In this condition the 
most delightful visions flitted across his imagination. He saw 
around him a country covered with the most beautiful planta- 
tions, and found himself in the midst of objects delightful to 
his senses. Nevertheless, he reasoned concerning his condi- 
tion, and felt that courage alone could withdraw him from 
this species of non-existence. He demanded some wine from 
the master gunner, who got it for him, and he recovered a lit- 
tle from this state of stupor. If the unfortunates who were 
assailed with these primary symptoms had not strength to 
withstand them, their death was certain. Some became furi- 
ous ; others threw themselves into the sea, bidding farewell 
to their comrades with the utmost coolness. Some said — 
" Fear nothing ; I am going to get you assistance, and will 
return, in a short while." In the midst of this general mad- 
ness some wretches w^ere seen rushing upon their compan- 
ions, sword in hand, demanding a wing of a chicken and 
some bread to appease the hunger which consumed them ; 
others asked for their hammocks, to go, they said, between the 
decks of the frigate to take a little repose. Many believed 
they were still on the decks of the Medusa, surrounded by 
the same objects they there saw daily. Some saw ships, and 
called to them for assistance, or a fine harbor, in the distance 
of which was an elegant city. M. Correard thought he was 
traveling through the beautiful fields of Italy. An officer 
said to him — " I recollect we have been abandoned by the 
boats ; but fear nothing. I am going to write to the gover- 
nor, and in a few hours we shall be saved." M. Correard re- 
plied in the same tone, and as if he had been in his ordinary 
condition — " Have you a pigeon to carry your orders with 
such celerity ?" The cries and the confusion soon aroused 
us from this languor ; but when tranquillity was somewhat 
restored, we again fell into the same drowsy condition. On 
the morrow we felt as if we had awoke from a painful dream, 
and asked our companions if, during their sleep, they had not 
seen combats and heard cries of despair. Some replied that 
the same visions had continually tormented them, and that 
they were exhausted with fatigue. Every one believed he 
vv'as deceived by the illusions of a horrible dream. 

After these diflferent combats, overcome with toil, with want 
of food and sleep, we laid ourselves down and reposed till the 
morrow dawned and showed us the horror of the scene. A 



388 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

gfreat number in their delirium had thrown themselves into 
the sea. We found that sixty or sixty-five had perished dur- 
ing the night. A fourth part at least, we supposed, had 
drowned themselves in despair. We only lost two of our 
number, neither of whom were officers. The deepest dejec- 
tion was painted on every face ; each, having recovered him- 
self, could now feel the horrors of his situation ; and some of 
us, shedding tears of despair, bitterly deplored the rigor of 
our fate. 

A new misfortune w^as now revealed to us. During the tu- 
mult, the rebels had thrown into the sea two barrels of wane, 
and the only two casks of water Avhich w^e had upon the raft. 
The casks of wine had been consumed the day before, and 
only one was left. We were more than sixty in number, and 
we were obliged to put ourselves on half rations. 

At break of day the sea calmed, which permitted us again 
to erect our mast. When it was replaced, we made a distri- 
bution of wine. The unhappy soldiers murmured and blamed 
us for privations which w^e equally endured with them. They 
fell exhausted. We had taken nothing for forty-eight hours, 
and we had been obliged to struggle continually against a 
strong sea. We could, like them, hardly support ourselves ; 
courage alone made us still act. We resolved to employ eve- 
ry possible means to catch fish, and collecting all the hooks 
and eyes from the soldiers, made fish-hooks of them, but all 
was of no avail. The currents carried our lines under the 
raft, where they got entangled. We bent a bayonet to catch 
sharks ; one bit at it, and straightened it, and we abandoned 
our project. Something was absolutely necessary to sustain 
our miserable existence, and we tremble with horror at being 
obliged to tell that of which we made use. We feel our pen 
fall from our hands ; a mortal cold congeals all our members, 
and our hair bristles erect on our foreheads. Reader ! we 
implore you, feel not indignant toward men already loaded 
with misery. Pity their condition, and shed a tear of sorrow 
for their deplorable fate. • 

The wretches whom death had spared during the disastrous 
night we have described, seized upon the dead bodies with 
which the raft was covered, cutting them up by blices, which 
some even instantly devoured. Many nevertheless refrained. 
Almost all the officers were of this number. Seeing that this 
monstrous food had revived the strength of those who had 
used it, it was proposed to dry it to make it a little more palat- 
able. Those who had firmness to abstain from it, took an 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 389 

additional quantity of wine. We endeavored to eat shoulder- 
belts and cartouch-boxes, and contrived to swallow some small 
bits of them. Some ate linen; others, the leathers of the hats, 
on which was a little grease, or rather dirt. We had recourse 
to many expedients to prolong our miserable existence, to re- 
count which would only disgust the heart of humanity. 

The day was c^lm and beautiful. A ray of hope beamed 
for a moment to quiet our agitation. We still expected to see 
the boats or some ships, and addressed our prayers to the 
Eternal, on whom we placed our trust. The half of our men 
were extremely feeble, and bore upon their faces the stamp. of 
approaching dissolution. The evening arrived, and we found 
no help. The darkness of the third night augmented our 
fears, but the wind was still, and the sea less agitated. The 
sun of the fourth morning since our departure shone upon 
our disaster, and showed us ten or twelve of our companions 
stretched lifeless upon the raft. This sight struck us most 
forcibly, as it told us we would be soon extended in the same 
-manner in the same place. We gave their bodies to the sea 
for a grave, reserving only one to feed those who, but the day 
before, had held his trembling hands, and sworn to him eter- 
nal friendship. This day was beautiful. Oar souls, anxious 
for more delightful sensations, were in harmony with the as- 
pect of the heavens, and got again a new ray of hope. To- 
ward four in the afternoon an unlooked for event happened, 
which gave us some consolation. A shoal of flying fish passed 
under our raft, and as there was an infinite number of open- 
ings between the pieces that composed it, the fish were entan- 
gled in great quantities. We threw ourselves upon them, and 
captured a considerable number. We took about two hundred 
and put them in an empty barrel ; we opened them as we 
caught them, and took out what is called their milt. This 
food seemed delicious ; but one man would have required a 
thousand. Our first emotion was to give God renewed thanks 
for this unhoped for favor. 

An ounce of gunpowder having been found in the morning, 
was dried in the sun during the day, which was very fine ; a 
steel, gun-flints, and tinder made also a part of the same par- 
cel. After a good deal of difficulty we set fire to some frag- 
ments of dry linen. We made a large opening in the side of 
an empty cask, and placed at the bottom of it several wet 
things, and upon this kind of scaffolding we set our fire ; all 
of which we placed on a barrel, that the sea might not extin- 

33* 



390 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

guish it. We cooked some fish and ate them with extreme 
avidity ; but our hunger was such, and our portion so small, 
that we added to it some of the sacrilegious viands, which the 
cooking rendered less revolting. This some of the oflicers 
touched for the first time. From this day we continued to eat 
it; but we could no longer dress it, the means of making a 
fire having been entirely lost ; the barrel having caught fire, 
we extinguished it, without being able to preserve any thing 
to rekindle it on the morrow. The powder and tinder were 
entirely done. This meal gave us all additional strength to 
support our fatigues. The night was tolerable, and would have 
been happy, had it not been signalized by a new massacre. 

Some Spaniards, Italians, and negroes, had formed a plot 
to throw us all into the sea. The negroes had told them that 
they w^ere very near the shore, and that, when there, they 
would enable them to traverse Africa without danger. We 
had to take to our arms again, the sailors, who had remained 
faithful to us, pointing out to us the conspirators. The first 
signal for battle was given by a Spaniard, who, placing him- 
self behind the mast, holding fast by it, made the sign of the 
cross with one hand, invoking the name of God, and with the 
other held a knife. The sailors seized him and threw him 
into the sea. An Italian, servant to an officer of the troops, 
who was in the plot, seeing all was discovered, armed him- 
self with the only boarding-ax left on the raft, made his re- 
treat to the front, enveloped himself in a piece of drapery he 
wore across his breast, and of his own accord threw himself 
into the sea. The rebels rushed forward to avenge their com- 
rades; a terrible conflict again commenced: both sides fought 
with desperate fury; and soon the fatal raft was strewed 
with dead bodies and blood, which should have been shed 
by other hands, and in another cause. In this tumult we 
heard them again demanding, with horrid rage, the head of 
Lieutenant Danglas ! In this assault the unfortunate sutler 
was again thrown into the sea. M. Coudin, assisted by some 
workmen, saved her, to prolong for a while her torments and 
her existence. 

In this terrible night Lavillette failed not to give proofs of 
the rarest intrepidity. It was to him and some of those who 
have survived the sequel of our misfortunes, that we owed 
our safety. At last, after unheard of efl^orts, the rebels were 
once more repulsed, and quiet restored. Having escaped this 
new danger, we endeavored to get some repose. The day at 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDFSA. 391 

length dawned upon us for the fifth time. We were now no 
more than thirty in number. We had lost four or five of our 
faithful sailors, and those who survived were in the most de- 
plorable condition. The sea-water had almost entirely exco- 
riated the skin of our lower extremities ; we were covered with 
contusions or wounds, which, irritated by the salt water, ex- 
torted from us the most piercing cries. About twenty of us 
only were capable of standing upright or walking. Almost 
all our fish was exhausted ; we had but four days' supply of 
wine : in four days, said we, nothing will be left, and death 
will be inevitable. Thus came the seventh day of our aban- 
donment. In the course of the day two soldiers had glided 
behind the only barrel of wine that was left, pierced it, and 
were drinking by means of a reed. We had sworn that those 
who used such means should be punished with death ; which 
law was instantly put in execution, and the two transgressors 
were thrown into the sea. 

The same day saw the close of the life of. a child named 
Leon, aged twelve years. He died like a lamp which ceases 
to burn for want of aliment. All spoke in favor of this young 
and amiable creature, who merited a better fate. His angelic 
form, his musical voice, the interest of an age so tender, in- 
creased still more by the courage he had shown and the ser- 
vices he had performed, for he had already made in the pre- 
ceding year a campaign in the East-Indies, inspired us all 
"with the greatest pity for this young victim, devoted to so hor- 
rible and premature a death. Our old soldiers and all our peo- 
ple in general did every thing they could to prolong his ex- 
istence, but all was in vain. Neither the wine which they 
gave him without regret, nor all the means they employed, 
could arrest his melancholy doom, and he expired in the arms 
of M. Coudin, who had not ceased to give him the most un- 
wearied attention. Whilst he had strength to move he ran 
incessantly from one side to the other, loudly calling for his 
unhappy mother, for water and food. He trod indiscriminate- 
ly on the feet and legs of his companions in misfortune, who, 
in their turn, uttered sorrowful cries, but these were very 
rarely accompanied with menaces ; they pardoned all which 
the poor boy had made them suffer. He was not in his senses, 
consequently could not be expected to behave as if he had the 
use of his reason. 

There now remained but twenty-seven of us. Fifteen of 
that number seemed able to live yet some days ; the rest, co- 
vered with large wounds, had almost entirely lost the use of 



392 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

their reason. They still, however, shared in the distributions, 
and would, before they died, consume thirty or forty bottles of 
wine, which to us were inestimable. We deliberated, that by 
putting the sick on half allowance was but putting them to 
death by halves ; but after a council, at which presided the 
most dreadful despair, it was decided they should be thrown 
into the sea. This means, however repugnant, however hor- 
rible it appeared to us, procured the survivors six days' wine. 
But after the decision was made, who durst execute it ? The 
habit of seeing death ready to devour us ; the certainty of our 
infallible destruction without this monstrous expedient: all, in 
short, had hardened our hearts to every feeling but that of 
self-preservation. Three sailors and a soldier took charge of 
this cruel business. We looked aside and shed tears of blood 
at the fate of these unfortunates. Among them were the 
wretched sutler and her husband. Both had been grievously 
wounded in the different combats. The woman had a thigh 
broken between the beams of the raft, and a stroke of a sabre 
had made a deep wound in the head of her husband. Every 
thing announced their approaching end. We console our- 
selves with the belief that our cruel resolution shortened but 
a brief space the term of their existence. Ye who shudder at 
the cry of outraged humanity, recollect that it was other men, 
fellow-countrymen, comrades, who had placed us in this aw- 
ful situation ! 

This horrible expedient saved the fifteen who remained : 
for when we were found by the Argus brig, we had very little 
wane left, and it was the sixth day after the cruel sacrifice we 
have described. The victims, we repeat, had not more than 
forty-eight hours to live, and by keeping them on the raft we 
would have been absolutely destitute of the means of exist- 
ence two days before we were found. Weak as we were, we 
considered it as a certain thing, that it would have been im- 
possible for us to have lived only twenty-four hours more, 
without taking some food. After this catastrophe we threw 
our arms into the sea ; they inspired us with a horror we 
could not overcome.- We only kept one sabre, in case we had 
to cut some cordage or some pieces of wood. 

A new event, for every thing was an event io wretches to 
whom the world was reduced to the narrow space of a few 
toises, and for whom the winds and waves contended in their 
fury as they floated above the abyss ; an event happened 
which diverted our niinds from the horrors of our situation. 
All on a s.adden a white butterfly, of a species common in 



SHIPWPvECK OF THE MEDUSA. 393 ' 

France, came fluttering above our heads and settled on our sail. 
The first thought this little creature suggested was that it was 
the harbinger of approaching land, and we clung to the hope 
with a delirium of joy. It was the ninth day we had been 
xipon the raft ; the torments of hunger consumed our entrails ; 
and the soldiers and sailors already devoured with haggard 
eyes this wretched prey, and seemed to dispute about it. 
Others looking upon it as a messenger from Heaven, declared 
that they took it under their protection, and would suffer none 
to do it harm. It is certain we could not be far from land, 
for the butterflies continued to come on the following days 
and flutter about our sail. We had also, on the same day, 
another indication not less positive, by a Goeland which flew 
around our raft. This second visiter left us not a doubt that 
we were fast approaching the African soil, and we persuaded 
ourselves we would be speedily thrown upon the coast by the 
force of the currents. 

This same day a new care employed us. Seeing we were 
reduced to so small a number, we collected all the little 
strength we had left, detached some planks on the front of the 
raft, and with some pretty long pieces of wood, raised on the 
centre a kind of platform, on which we reposed. All the ef- 
fects we could collect were placed upon it, and rendered to 
make it less hard ; which also prevented the sea from pass- 
ing with such facility through the spaces between the differ- 
ent planks ; but the waves came across, and sometimes covered 
us completely. 

On this new theatre we resolved to meet death in a man- 
ner becoming Frenchmen, and with perfect resignation. Our 
time was almost wholly spent in speaking of our happy 
country. All our wishes, our last prayers, were for the pros- 
perity of France. Thus passed the last days of our abode 
upon the raft. 

Soon after our abandonment, we bore with comparative ease 
the immersions during the nights, which are very cold in these 
countries ; but latterly, every time the waves washed over us 
we felt a most painful sensation, and we uttered plaintive 
cries. We employed every means to avoid it. Some support- 
ed their heads on pieces of wood, and made with what they 
could find a sort of little parapet to screen them from the 
force of the waves ; others sheltered themselves behind two 
empty casks. But these means were very insufficient ; it was 
only when the sea was calm that it did not break over us. 



394 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

An ardent thirst, redoubled in the day by the beams of a 
burning sun, consumed us. An officer of the army found by 
chance a small lemon, and it may be easily imagined how 
valuable such a fruit would be to him. His comrades, in 
spite of the most urgent entreaties, could not get a bit of it 
from him. Signs of rage were already manifested, and had 
he not partly listened to the solicitations of those around him, 
they would have taken it by force, and he would ha\^e perish- 
ed the victim of his own selfishness. We also disputed about 
thirty cloves of garlic which were found in the bottom of a 
sack. These disputes were for the most part accompanied 
with violent menaces, and if they had been prolonged, we 
might have come to the last extremities. There were also 
found two small phials, in which was a spirituous liquid for 
cleaning the teeth. He who possessed them kept them with 
care, and gave with reluctance one or two drops in the palm 
of the hand. This, liquor, which, we think, was a tincture of 
guaiacum, cinnamon, and other aromatic substances, produced 
on our tongues an agreeable feeling, and for a short while 
removed the thirst which destroyed us. Some of us found 
some small pieces of powder, which made, when put into the 
mouth, a kind of coolness. One plan generally employed 
was, to put into a hat a quantity of sea- water, with which we 
washed our faces for a while, repeating it at intervals. We 
also bathed our hair, and held our hands in the water. Mis- 
fortune made us ingenious, and each thought of a thousand 
means to alleviate his sufferings. Emaciated by the most 
cruel privations, the least agreeable feeling was to us a hap- 
piness supreme. Thus we sought with avidity a small empty 
phial which one of us possessed, and in which had once been 
some essence of roses ; and every, one as he got hold of it, 
respired with delight the odor it exhaled, which imparted to 
his senses the most soothing impressions. Many of us kept 
our ration of wine in a small tin cup, and sucked it out with 
a quill. This manner of taking it was of great benefit to us, 
and allayed our thirst much better than if we had gulped it off 
at once. 

Three days passed in inexpressible anguish. So much did 
we despise life, that many of us feared not to bathe in sight 
of the sharks which surrounded our raft ; others placed them- 
selves naked upon the front of our machine, which was under 
water. These expedients diminished a little the ardor of our 
thirst. A kind of mollusca, known to seamen by the name of 
gatere, was sometimes driven in great numbers on our raft ; 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 395 

and when their long arms rested on our naked bodies, they 
occasioned us the most cruel sufferings. Will it be believed 
that, amidst these terrible scenes, struggling with inevitable 
death, some uttered pleasantries which made us yet smile, in 
vspite of the horrors of our situation? One, beside others, 
said jestingly, " If the brig is sent to search for us; pray God 
it has the eyes of Argus," in allusion to the name of the ves- 
sel we presumed would be sent to our assistance. This con- 
solatory idea never left us an instant, and we spoke of it fre- 
quently. On the 16th, reckoning we were very near the land, 
eight of the most determined among us resolved to endeavor 
to gain the coast. Accordingly a second raft, of smaller di- 
mensions, was formed for transporting them thither; but it 
was found insufficient, and they at length determined to await 
death in their present situation. Meanwhile night came on, 
and its sombre veil revived in our minds the most afflicting 
thoughts. We were certain there were not above a dozen or 
fifteen bottles of wine in our barrel. We began to have an 
invincible disgust at the flesh which had till then scarcely 
supported us; and we may say, that the sight of it inspired 
us with feelings of horror, doubtless produced by the idea 
of approaching destruction. On the morning of the 17th 
the sun appeared free from clouds. After having addressed 
our prayers to the Eternal, we divided among us a part of our 
wine. Each with delight was taking his small portion, when 
a captain of infantry, casting his eyes on the horizon, perceiv- 
ed a ship, and announced it to us by an exclamation of joy. 
We knew it to be a brig, but it was at a great distance ; we 
could only distinguish the masts. The sight of this vessel re- 
vived in us emotions difficult to describe. Each believed his 
deliverance sure, and we gave a thousand thanks to God. 
Fears, however, mingjed with our hopes. We straightened 
some hoops of casks, to the ends of which we fixed handker- 
chiefs of difl^erent colors. A man, with our united assistance, 
mounted to the top of the mast and waved these little flags. 
For more than half an hour we were tossed between hope 
and fear. Some thought the vessel grew larger, and others 
were convinced its course was from us. These last were 
the only ones whose eyes were not blinded by hope, for the 
ship disappeared. 

From this delirium of joy we passed to that of despon- 
dency and sorrow. We envied the fate of those whom we 
had seen perish at our sides; and we said to ourselves, "When 
we shall be in want of every thing, and when our strength 



396 SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

begins to forsake us, we will wrap ourselves up as well as we 
can, and will stretch ourselves on this platform, the witness of 
the most cruel sufferings, and there await death with resigna- 
tion." At length, to calm our despair, we sought for consola- 
tion in the arms of sleep. The day before we had been scorch- 
ed by the beams of a burning sun ; to-day, to avoid the fierce- 
ness of his rays, we made a tent with the main -sail of the 
frigate. As soon as it was finished, Ave laid ourselves under 
it; thus all that was passing without was hid from our eyes. 
We proposed then to write upon a plank an abridgment of 
our adventures, and to add our names at the bottom of the re- 
cital, and fix it to the upper part of our mast, in the hope 
that it would reach the government and our families. 

After having passed two hours, a prey to the most cruel re- 
flections, the master gunner of the frigate, wishing to go to 
the front of the raft, went out from below the tent. Scarcely 
had he put out his head when he turned to us uttering a 
piercing cry. Joy was painted upon his face: his bancs 
were stretched toward the sea; he breathed with difficulty. 
All he was able to say was : Saved ! see the brig upon us ! 
and in fact it was not more than half a league distant, having 
every sail set, and steering right upon us. We rushed (ror.i 
our tent; even those whom enormous wounds in their infcii- 
or extremities had confined for many days, dragged them- 
selves to the back of the raft, to enjoy a sight of the ship 
which had come to save us from certain death. We embrac- 
ed one another with a transport which looked much like 
madness, and tears of joy trickled down our cheeks, withered 
by the most cruel privations. Each seized handkerchiefs, or 
some pieces of linen, to make signals to the brig, which was 
rapidly approaching us. Some fell on their knees and fer- 
vently retu:;ned thanks to Providence for this miraculou.'; pre- 
servation of their lives. Our joy redoubled when we saw at 
the top of the foremast a large white flag, and we cried, " It 
is then to Frenchmen we will owe our deliverance." We in- 
stantly recognized the brig to be the Argus; it was then 
about two gunshots from us. We were terribly impatient to 
see her reef her sails, which at last she did, and fresh cries of 
joy arose from our raft. The Argus came and lay to on our 
starboard, about a half pistol shot from us. The crew, rang- 
ed upon the deck and on the shrouds, announced to us, by 
the waving of their hands and hats, the pleasure they felt at 
coming to the assistance of their unfortunate countrymen. 
In a short time we were all transported on board the brig, 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 397 

where we found the lieutenant of the frigate and some others 
who had been wrecked with us. Compassion was painted 
on every face, and pity drew tears from every eye Avhich be- 
held us. We found some excellent broth on board the brig, 
which they had prepared, and when they had perceived us 
they added to it some wine, and thus restored our nearly ex- 
hausted strength. They bestowed on us the most generous 
care and attention; our wounds were dressed, and on the 
morrow many of our sick began to revive. Some, however, 
still suffered much, for they were placed between decks, very 
near the kitchen, which augmented the almost insupportable 
heat of these latitudes. This want of space arose from the 
small size of the vessel. The number of the shipwrecked 
was indeed very considerable. Those who did not belong to 
the navy were laid upon cables, wrapped in flags, and placed 
under the fire of the kitchen. Here they had almost perished 
during the course of the night, fire having broken out be- 
tween decks about ten in the evening ; but timely assistance 
being rendered, we were saved for the second time. We had 
scarcely escaped when some became again delirious. An 
officer of infantry wished to throw himself into the sea to 
look for his pocket-book, and would have done it had he not 
been prevented. Others were seized in a manner not less 
frenzied. 

The commander and officers of the brig watched over ■as, 
and kindly anticipated our wants. They snatched us from 
death, by saving us from the raft; their unremitted care revived 
within us the spark of life. The surgeon of the ship, M. Re- 
u-aud, distinguished himself for his indefatigable zeal. He was 
obliged to spend the whole of the day in dressing our wounds j 
and during the two days we were on board the brig he be- 
stowed on us all the aid of his art, with an attention and gen- 
tleness which merit our eternal gratitude. 

In truth, it was time we should find an end of our suffer- 
ings; they had lasted thirteen days in the most cruel manner. 
The strongest among us might have lived forty-eight hours, 
or so, longer. M. Correard felt that he must die in the course 
of the day ; he had, however, a presentiment that we would be 
saved. He said, that a series of events so unheard of would 
not be buried in oblivion ; that Providence would at least pre- 
serve some of us to tell the world the melancholy story of our 
misfortunes. 

Such is the faithful history of those who were left upon 
the memorable raft. Of one hundred and fifty, fifteen only 

34 



398 DESTRUCTION OF THE ESSEX. 

were saved. Five of that number never recovered of their 
fatigue, and died at St. Louis. Those who yet live are co- 
vered with scars ; and the cruel sufferings to which they have 
been exposed, have materially shaken their constitutions. 



DESTRUCTION OF THE ESSEX BY A WHALE. 

As related by her commander, Captain George Pollard, 

My first shipwreck was in open sea, on the 20th of No- 
vember, 1820, near the equator, about 118 deg. W. longitude. 
The vessel, a South Sea whaler, was called the Essex. On 
that day, as we were on the look out for sperm whales, and 
had actually struck two, which the boats' crews were follow- 
ing to secure, I perceived a very large one — it might be eighty 
or ninety feet long — rushing with great swiftness through the 
water right toward the ship. We hoped that she would turn 
aside and dive under, when she perceived such a balk in her 
way. But no ! the animal came full force against our stern- 
port : had any quarter less firm been struck, the vessel must 
have been burst ; as it was, every plank and timber trembled 
throughout her whole bulk. 

The whale, as though hurt by a severe and unexpected con- 
cussion, shook its enormous head and sheered off to so con- 
siderable a distance that for some time we had lost sight of 
her from the starboard quarter; of which we were very glad, 
hoping that the worst was over. Nearly an hour afterward 
we saw the same fish — we had no doubt of this, from her 
size and the direction in which she came — making again 
toward us. We were at once aware of our danger, but escape 
was impossible. She dashed her head this time against the 
ship's side, and so broke it in that the vessel filled rapidly, 
and soon became water-logged. At the second shock, expect- 
ing her to go down, we lowered our three boats with the utmost 
expedition, and all hands, twenty in the whole, got into them ; 
seven, and seven, and six. In a little while, as she did not 
sink, we ventured on board again, and, by scuttling the deck, 
were enabled to get out some biscuit, beef, water, rum, two 
sextants, a quadrant, and three compasses. These, together 
with some rigging, a few muskets, powder, &c. we brought 
away; and, dividing the stores among our three small crews, 



DESTRUCTION OF THE ESSEX. 399 

rigged the boats as well as we could ; there being a compass 
for each, and a sextant for two, and a quadrant for one, but 
neither sextant nor quadrant for the third. Then, instead of 
pushing away for some port, so amazed and bewildered were 
we, that we continued sitting in our places, gazing upon the 
ship as though she had been an object of the tenderest affec- 
tion. Our eyes could not leave her, till, at the end of many 
hours, she gave a slight reel, then down she sank. No words 
can tell our feelings. We looked at each other — we looked 
at the place where she had so lately been afloat — and we did 
not cease to look till the terrible conviction of our abandoned 
and perilous situation roused us to exertion, if deliverance were 
yet possible. 

We now consulted about the course which it might be best 
to take — westward to India, eastward to South America, or 
south-westward to the Society Isles. We knew that we were 
at no great distance from Tahiti, but were so ignorant of the 
state and temper of the inhabitants that we feared we should 
be devoured by cannibals if we cast ourselves on their mercy. 
It was determined therefore to make for South America, which 
we computed to be more than two thousand miles distant. Ac- 
cordingly we steered eastward, and though for several days 
harassed with squalls, we contrived to keep together. It was 
not lG,2g before we found that one of the boats had started a 
plank, which was no wonder, for whale boats are all clinker 
built, and very slight, being made of half-inch plank only, 
before planing. To remedy this alarming defect we all turn- 
ed to, and having emptied the damaged boat into the two oth- 
ers, we raised her side as well as we could, and succeeded 
in restoring the plank at the bottom. Through this accident 
some of our biscuit had become injured by the salt water. 
This was equally divided among the several boats' crews. 
Food and water, meanwhile, with our utmost economy, rapidly 
failed. Our strength was exhausted, not by abstinence only, 
but by the labors which we were obliged to employ to keep 
our little vessels afloat aiviidst the storms which repeatedly 
assailed us. One night we were parted in rough weather; 
but though the next day we fell in with one of our com- 
panion-boats, we never saw or heard any more of the other, 
which probably perished at sea, being without either sextant 
or quadrant. 

When Ave were reduced to the last pinch, and out of every 
thing, having been more than three weeks abroad, we were 
cheered with the sight of a low uninhabited island, which we 



400 DESTRUCTION OF THE ESSEX. 

reached in hope, but were bitterly disappointed. There were 
some barren bushes and many rocks on this forlorn spot. 
The only provisions that we could procure were a few birds 
and their eggs : this supply was soon reduced ; the sea-fowls 
appeared to have been frightened away, and their nests were 
left empty after we had once or twice plundered them. What 
distressed us most was the utter want of fresh water ; we could 
not find a drop any where, till, at the extreme verge of ebb tide, 
a small spring was discovered in the sand ; but even that was 
too scanty to afford us sufficient to quench our thirst before it 
was covered by the waves at their turn. 

There being no prospect but that of starvation here, we de- 
termined to put to sea again. Three of our comrades, how- 
ever, chose to remain, and we pledged ourselves to send a 
vessel to bring them off, if we ourselves should ever escape 
to a Christian port. With a very small quantity of biscuit for 
each, and a little water, we again ventured out on the wide 
ocean. In the course of a few days our provisions were con- 
sumed. Two men died; we had no other alternative than 
to live on their remains. These Avere roasted to dryness by 
means of fires kindled on the ballast-sand at the bottom of 
the boats. When this supply was spent, what could we do ? 
We looked at each other with horrid thoughts in our minds, 
but we held our tongues. I am sure that we loved one an- 
other as brothers all the time ; and yet our looks told plainly 
what must be done. We cast lots, and the fatal one fell on my 
poor cabin boy. 1 started forward instantly, and cried out, " My 
lad, my lad, if you donU like your lot, I'll shoot the first man 
that touches you." The poor emaciated boy hesitated a moment 
or two ; then, quietly laying his head down upon the gunnel 
of the boat, he said, " / like it as well as any other. ''^ He was 
soon despatched, and nothing of him left. I think, then an- 
other man died of himself, and him too we ate. But I can tell 
you no more — my head is on fire at the recollection ; I hardly 
know what I say. I forgot to say that Ave parted company Avith 
the second boat before now. After some more days of horror 
and despair, Avhen some Avere lying doAvn at the bottom of the 
boat, not able to rise, and scarcely one of us could move a limb, 
a vessel hove in sight We were taken on board and treated 
with extreme kindness. The second boat Avas also picked up 
at sea, and the survivors saA'^ed. A ship afterAA^ard sailed in 
search of our companions on the desolate island, and brought 
them away. 



DESTRUCTION OF THE ESSEX. 401 

The following particulars respecting the three men left on 
the island, are extracted from a tract issued by the London 
Tract Society, in Paternoster Row. 

On the 26th of December the boats left the island : this 
was, indeed, a trying moment to all ; they separated with mu- 
tual prayers and good wishes, seventeen venturing to sea with 
almost certain death before them, while three remained on a 
rocky isle, destitute of water, and affording hardly any thing 
to support life. The prospects of these three poor men were 
gloomy ; they again tried to dig a well, but without success, 
and all hope seemed at an end, when providentially they 
were relieved by a shower of rain. They were thus deliver- 
ed from the immediate apprehension of perishing by thirst. 
Their next care ^^as to procure food, and their difficulties 
herein were also very great ; their principal resource was 
small birds, about the size of a blackbird, which they caught 
while at roost. Every night they climbed the trees in search 
of them, and obtained, by severe exertions, a scanty supply, 
hardly enough to support life. Some of the trees bore a small 
beny, which gave them a little relief; but these they found 
only in small quantities. Shell-fish they searched for in vain : 
and although from the rocks they saw at times a number of 
sharks, and also other sorts of fish, they were unable to catch 
any, as they had no fishing tackle. Once they saw several 
turtles, and succeeded in taking five, but they were then with- 
out water; at those times they had little inclination to eat, 
and before one of them was quite finished, the others were 
become unfit for food. 

Their sufferings from the want of water were the most se- 
vere, their only supply being from Avhat remained in holes 
among the rocks after the showers which fell at intervals ; 
and sometimes they were five or six days without any ; on 
these occasions they were compelled to suck the blood of the 
birds they caught, which allayed their thirst in some degree ; 
but they did so very unwillingly, as they found themselves 
much disordered thereby. 

Among the rocks were several caves formed by nature, 
which afforded a shelter from the wind and rain. In one of 
these caves they found eight human skeletons, in all probabi- 
lity the remains of some poor mariners who had been ship- 
wrecked on the isle, and perished for want of food and water. 
They were side by side, as if they had laid down and died to- 
gether ! This sight deeply affected the mate and his com- 
panions ; their case was similar, and they had every reason 

34* 



402 LOSS OF THE PRESIDENT. 

to expect, ere long, the same end ; for many times tliey lay 
down at night, with their tongues swollen and their lips parch- 
ed with thirst, scarcely hoping to see the morning sun ; and 
it is impossible to form an- idea of their feelings when the 
morning dawned, and they found their prayers had been heard 
and answered by a providential supply of rain. 

In this state they continued till the Sth of April following, 
On the morning of that day they were in the woods as usual, 
searching for food and water as well as their weakness per- 
mitted, when their attention was aroused by a sound which 
they thought was distant thunder ; but looking toward the 
sea, they saw a ship in the offing, which had just fired a gun. 
Their joy at this sight may be more easily imagined than de- 
scribed; they immediately fell on their knees and thanked 
God for his goodness in thus sending deliverance when least 
expected ; then hastening to the shore, they saw a boat com- 
ing toward them. As the boat could not approach the shore 
without great danger, the mate, being a good swimmer, and 
stronger than his companions, plunged into the sea, and pro- 
videntially escaped a watery grave at the moment when deli- 
verance was at hand. His companions crawled out farther on 
the rocks, and by the great exertions of the crew, were taken 
into the boat, and soon found themselves on board the Surrey, 
commanded by Captain Raine, by whom they were treated in 
the kindest manner, and their health and strength were 
speedily restored. 



WRECK OF THE SHIP PRESIDENT, 

CHARLESTON LINE PACKET. 

The wreck of the ship President, Captain Wilson, on the 
east bank of the Romer breakers, on Sunday night, December 
4th, 1831, was accompanied with circumstances truly of an 
appalling nature. The wind had been, and was blowing vio- 
lently from the north-west, and although every precautioh 
was used by the pilot (who was taken on board in the after- 
noon) to get a sure and safe anchorage, the violence of the 
tempest increased to that degree by three o'clock on Monday 
morning, that she drifted with two anchors for some distance, 
and then first struck. The night was remarkably cold and 






LOSS OF THE PRESIDENT. 403 

dark, and the deck, rigging, spars and sails, were entirely co- 
vered with ice. At about four o'clock the water burst the 
bottom, and in the space of half an hour the cabin was filled 
to the sky-lights, and every individual on board (twenty in 
number) were driven to find safety on deck, and seek protec- 
tion from the inclemency of the weather under the roof over 
the stern part of the ship. By this time the main, mizen, and 
foremasts had been cut away ; they had fallen with a crash^ 
the effect of which, at a period so perilous and awful, cannot 
possibly be described, and at which the stoutest heart would 
have trembled. The wind continued unabated ; the deck was 
one complete sheet of ice ; the spars and rigging that remain- 
ed increased the bulk tenfold by the thick incrustation by 
w^hich the severity of the w^eather had loaded them, and near- 
ly every individual benumbed with cold, standing statue-like, 
with clothes entirely frozen, and covered with sleet and ice, 
under the roof upon the quarter-deck, anxiously gazing to- 
ward the eastern horizon, and ready to catch the first light of 
morning. The light of the rising sun w^as never more ardent- 
ly and sincerely anticipated: for it was ardently hoped that a 
discovery of the wreck early in the morning w^ould bring im- 
mediate relief. 

The only remaining hope, under Providence, during this 
period of intense anxiety, w^as the substantial character of the 
ship, and that she w^ould not part until all on board could be 
rescued. Thank heaven, the hope was realized. Although 
the wind had rather increased than diminished, and wave af- 
ter wave had tumultuously rolled over the ship for several 
hours, plunging her more and more upon the breakers, and 
with a violence that seemed to force even the timbers from 
their places, she still kept together, but her sides were break- 
ing in on her larboard and starboard quarters. The situation 
of the individuals on board at this time w'as truly awful. The 
violence of the wind ; the darkness of the night ; ihe occa- 
sional crashing of spars ; the continual sw^eeping of the sea 
over the whole length of tke ship, and that indescribable moan- 
ing sound of the wind as it swept through the ice-bound rig- 
ging, can only be appreciated by those who have experienced 
similar situations. When daylight broke, the reality was in- 
deed realized ; the danger could now be conceived ; the wreck 
was truly such an one that, with less than the miraculous in- 
terposition of a kind Providence, all must inevitably have 
perished. 

At about ten o'clock, A. M. the jolly boat was got ready, 



404 LOSS OF THE PRESIDENT. 

and a party of seven embarked and made for the land, which, 
fortunately, they reached. It was perilous, but equally so to 
remain on the wreck. In the boat were Captain Wilson, Mr. 
Chisholm, passenger, and several of the crew. It is due to 
Captain Wilson to state, that his sole object in leaving the ship, 
and I can add, a praiseworthy object, was to hasten to New- 
York, should the boat succeed in reaching the shore, and to 
despatch, with all possible speed, some efficient means to res- 
cue those remaining on the wreck. The conduct of Captain 
Wilson was throughout every way commendable, and actuated 
by a deep sense of the responsibility that devolved upon him 
during this critical period. 

The situation of those remaining on board becam.e every 
moment more perilous : the wind increased, the sea was in- 
cessantly dashing violently over the ship, and the weather was 
becoming, if possible, more cold and severe. The only hope 
that could reasonably be entertained was relief from the city. 
This state of feeling continued until nearly two o'clock, P. M. 
and until nearly hope itself could no longer be sustained. 
When it is considered how much was suffered under the se- 
veral trying circumstances of the wreck from its commence- 
ment, it could hardly be expected that much physical or men- 
tal energy could be exercised. As the " last fond hope was 
glimmering to its final extinguishment," a sail was disco- 
vered bearing down for the wreck from Staten Island. The 
effect was electric ; a moment before almost every one seemed 
more ready to yield, to fall without a struggle, than make one 
effort to be saved. The havoc and tumult around had been 
gazed upon with a peculiar apathy. But now every thing ap- 
peared to renew life and animation. At about three o'clock 
P. M. the schooner anchored Avithin three quarters of a mile 
of the ship, as near as she could possibly venture among the 
breakers and shoals. By one of those extraordinary efforts 
that in trying times can sometimes be accomplished, the long- 
boat was launched at nearly the same time the schooner cast 
her anchor. In the morning, with all assistance on board, it 
could not have been accomplished. Every individual was 
soon embarked in the boat, and with continual bailing out the 
water, she was enabled to reach the schooner at about five 
o'clock P. M. 

To Mr. Neale, the mate of the ship, and who was the last 
to leave the wreck, much is due for his perseverance, cool- 
ness, and judgment, during the most hopeless period of the 
disaster. 



A. TRAGICAL TALE OF THE SEA. 405 

The schooner that came to the relief of the shipwrecked, 
at such a propitious moment, was the Major G. Howard, 
Captain Sylvis, accompanied by Captain Seaman, of Staten 
Island, who, with a generous humanity that cannot be too 
highly appreciated, and under circumstances that would have 
intimidated many from such an attempt, rescued, at their own 
hazard, a number of their fellow beings from a watery grave. 
Gratitude for such acts of disinterested humanity and kind- 
ness is lasting. Every individual who has thus been rescued 
from a death which would have been inevitable in a few more 
hours, but for such benevolent and generous exertions, is 
deeply impressed with a sense of the obligation they owe to 
their deliverers. 

The individuals rescued from the wreck by the exertions 
of Captains Sylvis and Seaman, are — The pilot ; Mr. Neale, 
the mate ; Lieutenant John Pickell, U. S. a passenger ; J. W. 
Wilkinson, Charleston, S. C. do. ; J. Lewell, New-Brunswick, 
do. ; J. Carr, do. ; the steward, and nine of the crew of the 
ship. The passengers and crew were all safely landed at the 
foot of Roosevelt-street wharf. New- York, in the steam-boat 
Bellona, which was met on her way to the wreck, at 8 o'clock 
en Monday night. 



A TRAGICAL TALE OF THE SEA. 

The following dreadful tragedy is related in the SeamerCs 
Magazine, and Church of England Guardian. 

I COMMANDED the , WO Sailed from , intending to 

call at , in order to take in passengers, and then proceed 

to . We arrived at , as designed, and I went ashore 

immediately, in order to make arrangements with the parties 

that desired to go with us to . A gentleman and his lady, 

and another gentleman in an exceedingly weak state, slowly 
recovering from a malignant fever, composed the party ; and 
being informed that the former had boxes of dollars, and plate 
to the amount of thousand pounds, which were to be ta- 
ken on board, I made every necessary arrangement, and re- 
turned to my ship. 

I had on board a mate, and men ; and deeming it ex- 
pedient, I called my mate privately into my cabin, and in- 
formed him of the large quantity of money and plate about 



406 A TRAGICAL TALE OF THE SEA. 

to be committed to our charge with the passengers ; and to 
avoid even the possibility of danger from the crew, I desired 
him to use any means he thought best to induce them to re- 
main ashore that night, in order that we might convey the 
property on board, and stow it safely away, without their 
knowing any thing of the circumstances. He immediately 
assented, and accordingly got rid of the men. I reposed en- 
tire confidence in him, and he appeared to deserve it ; the 
men, however, were kept ashore all night, while we, with per- 
fect secrecy and safety, as we thought, had the property con- 
veyed to the ship, and securely stowed away. In the morn- 
ing the men came on board, and every thing being taken in, 
we got under weigh with a fair wind in the evening. 

The first night, and the succeeding day and night, passed 
without any remarkable occurrence, and the wind continuing 
fair, we were at the close of the second day two hundred 
miles from land. My crew Avere most of them Irishmen, not 
such men, certainly, as I should have chosen, but I was ob- 
liged to take them as I found them. Indeed, one of the Irish- 
men, to whom I shall again refer more particularly, was not 
a seaman. 

Every thing had proceeded in an even and regular course, 
until the close of the third evening, if I except an undue fa- 
miliarity between the mate and the crew ; which, although I 
observed, I had not even mentioned. On this evening, how- 
ever, I was oppressed with a kind of uneasiness I cannot de- 
scribe, but fearing it might be a prelude to sickness, I left the 
mate in charge, and retired to my berth much earlier than 
usual. I tried to sleep, but in vain. I rose, took some grog, 
and lay down again. I tried to compose myself, but found it 
impossible. I several times dozed a little, but almost instant- 
ly started under gloomy impressions, or from frightful dreams. 
As this was quite unusual with me, having scarcely known a 
solitary instance of my rest being disturbed, I spent my hours 
under great despondency, and anxiously wished for the dawn 
of the day ; I continued thus until nearly two o'clock ; even 
my dozing might have been interrupted by the slightest move- 
ment, so far was I from enjoying any thing like repose. 

About two I heard a footstep cautiously approaching. I 
listened — and a man came close to my berth and muttered, 
"Captain!" I called out, "Who's there?" No answer being 
returned, I jumped out, and was instantly accosted by the Irish- 
man above referred to, in the most abrupt and callous man- 
ner, with " By J s it's all over with you — the mate has 



w. 



A TRAGICAL TALE OF THE SEA. 407 

told the crew about the mouey — they have taken the ship, 
and your throat will be cut at three o'clock." I was momen- 
tarily deprived of the power of utterance, and before I recov- 
ered from the shock the fellow was gone. I, however, soon 
became collected, and slipping on my trowsers and waistcoat, 
I immediately stepped into the gentleman's cabin to whom this 
treasure belonged. But he having overheard the dismal an- 
nouncement, had most imprudently communicated it to his 
wife, who instantly swooned. She, when I entered, was per- 
fectly insensible, and he, with clasped hands, exclaimed in 
deep despair — " O my wife ! O my children ! I shall never 
see you more !" Finding he knew the worst, I coolly said, 
" Well, sir, will you arm with me and resist ?" He said he could 
not, it was useless. I said, " Remember, sir, the property is 
yours — that your wife and children are at stake ; — i/ou ought, 
therefore, to be ready to resist to the very last extremity. I 
too have a wife and children, and will, therefore, resist to the 
last for them, for my employers, and for pou.^^ Finding, how- 
ever, that he was literally sunk in despair, I returned to my 
cabin. 

Any attempt to describe the state of my mind would be en- 
tirely useless. I think I stood for a few moments utterly at a 
loss what step to take, when somehow my hand got into my 
waistcoat pocket and enclosed my knife. Without premedi- 
tation or design I opened it. I now recollected the sick gen- 
tleman, but I thought it best to let him remain in ignorance. I 
knew not what to do ; however, not knowing what might be- 
fall me, or what course I should take, I rushed toward the 
deck, but my hand accidentally striking against something 
which I found to be an American ax, I seized it, and the next 
moment was on the deck, where I saw the helm deserted, and 
the mate with the whole crew sitting together drinking in the 
forepart of the ship. With the open knife in my left hand and 
the uplifted ax in my right, I sprang in among them ; and as 
my eye met the mate's, with one blow of the ax I clave his 
head asunder. The men simultaneously rose and fled in dif- 
ferent directions ; I followed the nearest instantly, and just as 
he was in the act of going aloft, I buried the ax in his loins, 
and he fell overboard. One now turned and tried to grapple 
with me ; but I in a moment drove the ax into his breast, 
and he fell at my feet. So deeply had the ax sunk into his 
body that I was in imminent danger of being overpoAvered : 
but, placing my foot on his chest, I by one vigorous effort 
succeeded in extricating it. I now looked round, and observ- 



408 



A TRAGICAL TALE OF THE SEA. 



ing no one near me, I went aft ; but seeingf here some one 
standing, I had again lifted my ax, when a voice exclaiming, 
"For God's sake, captain," convinced me it was the sick gen- 
tleman. I could only say, " Go in, sir." Roused by my strik- 
ing my hand against the ax and unhanging it, he had come 
out, and having witnessed my actions, without knowing any 
thing of the cause, he concluded me laboring under a direful 
paroxysm of madness, and instantly obeyed, thankful that he 
had not shared the fate of those who had fallen before his 
eyes. 

I found the men had all fled to the rigging, and were still 
aloft. The moon shone brightly, and I called to the nearest 
man to come down, but he would neither answer nor move. 
I went into my cabin, fetched out my foAvling-piece, and insist- 
ed on his coming down, or I would fire at him. At length he 
came down, and fell on his knees at my feet. I asked him what 
he had to say of their blood-thirsty villany : he replied, the mate 
had drawn them into it, and he was obliged to agree. "Strip!" 
said I : he did so. I then put .my gun and ax behind me, and 
cutting eighteen inches of rope, I gave him a severe floggmg^ 
to this I subjected every one of them, and they submitted with- 
out offering the least resistance ; the passengers, during the 
whole period, almost petrified, looked on. 

It only now occurred to me that there was no one at the 
helm ; I therefore took my gun and ax, and as there was no 
alternative, I was compelled to occupy that post at once. The 
passengers all came to me, but I cc^ld only beg them to leave 
me. They still halted, however, while I called the men before 
me, and told them I had now done wdth them ; their conduct 
would determine my future steps : at the same time conclude 
ing by saying 1 would still kill the first man that manifested 
a mutinous disposition, or that dared to cross a given line on 
the deck before me, without my express command. I then or- 
dered them to throw the two bodies overboard, and return Xo 
their respective duties. 

Beginning now to reflect on what I had done — -remember- 
ing that my life, my ship, my passengers, their property, and 
the cargo, were at least so far preserved — remembering at the 
same time that I had accomplished it only by the sacrifice 
of three men — that their blood had been shed by me — and 
seeing it upon me when morning dawned — my feelings over- 
came me, and I burst into tears. 

The danger was still by no means over. 1 had days' 

sail to , no mate, two men less than before, and every 



A TRAGICAL TALE OP THE SEA. 409 

reason to believe that the crew would still watch for, and 
seize any opportunity to murder me now, if for no other pur- 
pose than that of securing their own lives. I therefore made 
up my mind to keep my post at the helm, day and night, that 
I might at least have all my enemies before me ; — but how I 
should liieep my post, do without sleep, or venture to sleep at 
it, even for a moment, were questions on which I feared to 
dwell/ 

Whatever my fears and feelings were, I still manifested the 
same determined and fearless line of conduct by which I had 
hitherto succeeded. I kept my ax close to my side, in full 
view of the crew. The gentlei^an who owned the property, 
but who, in anticipation of the dismal event, gave himself 
up to despait, certainly did now offer any assistance in his 
power ; but I had too much at stake to venture for a moment 
to trust him. 

From the Irishman I obtained a full detail of the plot, the 
manner in which they intended to murder me and the pas- 
sengers, and their intention of carrying the vessel to . 

This man I also generally employed near me ; the passen- 
gers too used him as far as they deemed prudent, though 
all Avere sensible that no confidence ought to be placed in him. 
Thirteen days at length thus elapsed, during which we had 
contrary weather — had fallen in with no vessel — and as to 
myself, although I was still uninjured, and aware of no at- 
tempt against me by the men, my strength and spirits were 
nearly exhausted. 

On the morning of the fourteenth day, however, I certainly 
started from something like sound sleep, in consequence of 
an idea of a glare or excess of light ; and I am unable to ex- 
press my utter astonishment, and the overwhelming emotions 
of gratitude thr'.. instantly filled my heart, at beholding the 
sun shining most, brilliantly, and in full view the flag flying 

on the battery of . I immediately ordered guns to be 

fired ; and in a short time a boat, with a pilot, came along- 
side. We lay to, while they returned with my command for 
soldiers to take my crew into custody. I need not add, that 
they were all condemned to die, excepting the Irishman be- 
fore alluded to, whose sentence was commuted to perpetual 
banishment. I begged their lives might be spared, and used 
all my influence to save them, but in vain. Before their exe- 
cution I saw them all, and they were informed, in my pre- 
sence, of the means I had used to save them, and of their also 
proving utterly unavailing. They appeared so far satisfied 

35 



410 THE WHALE. 

that I had not acted from mere vindictive feeling : — confessed 
their guilt, but attributed their untimely end, and indeed the 
origin of the whole to the mate alone," 

The conduct of this brave Scot, in his singularly critical 
situation, has been, and will be variously judged of: though 
all attempts to ruin him, by false p^d absurd insinuations, so 
completely failed that all the quarters, and parties capable of 
forming a just opinion of the whole case, justified his conduct 
by the strongest expressions of unqualified approbation, and 
by the most liberal rewards. While the man, (we state the 
fact and leave it,) who sunk under the mere apprehension in 
the awful moments of the inn.ending danger, had afterward 
so great a dread of public opinion — so keen a sense of shame 
— so little regard for the dictates of religion, for himself, and 
for his wife and children, as almost immediately to blow out 
his own brains. 



THE WHALE. 



Among the cetaceous tribes, the chief place is due to the 
v^hale, of all animals " mightiest that swim the ocean stream." 
Enormous as his bulk is, rumor and the love of the marvel- 
lous have represented it as being at one time much greater, 
and the existing race as only the degenerate remnant of 
mightier ancestors. Mr. Scoresby, however, by collecting 
various good authorities, has proved that sixty feet was always 
nearly the utmost length of the mysticetus, or great Greenland 
whale. Of 332 individuals, in the capture of which that gen- 
tleman was concerned, none occurred of a length exceeding 
58 feet ; and he gives no credence to any rumor of a speci- 
men Avhich exceeded 70 feet. Even 60 feet implies a weight 
of 70 tons, being nearly that of three hundred fat oxen. Of 
this vast mass, the oil in a rich whale composes about thirty 
tons ; and when, as was the case some years ago, that arti- 
cle brought 55Z. or 60Z. per ton, we may form some idea of 
the great value of the capture ; the bones of the head, fins, 
and tail, weigh 8 or 10; the carcass, 30 or 32 tons. The 
oleaginous substance, or blubber, the most valuable part of 
the animal, forms a complete wrapper round the whole body, 
of the thickness of from 8 to 2(J inches. The head is dispro- 
portionally large, forming about a third of the entire bulk. 



THE WHALE. 411 

The basis consists of the crown-bone, from each side of which 
descend those immense jaw-bones which are sometimes pre- 
sented to our wondering eyes, and which the whalers place 
on deck as trophies of their success, and in order that the fine 
oil contained in them ma.j ooze from their lower extremities. 
These jaw-bones are from 16 to 20 feet in length, and extend 
along the mouth in a curved line, till they meet and form a 
species of crescent. The lips, nearly 20 feet long, display, 
when open, a cavity capable of receiving a ship's jolly-boat 
with her crew. The whale has no external ear ; but, when 
the skin is removed, a small aperture is discerned for the ad- 
mission of sound. This sense accordingly is very imperfect : 
yet the animal, by a quick perception of all movements made 
on the Avater, discovers danger at a great distance. The eyes 
are proportionably small, though the sense of seeing is acute : 
more so, however, through clear water than through an aeri- 
al medium. But the most unique feature in the structure of 
this animal consists in the spiracles or blow-holes, placed 
nearly on the crown of the head. These have been compared 
to natural jets d^eau throwing up water to the height of 40 or 
50 feet ; but the more careful scrutiny of Mr. Scoresby ascer- 
tained that they emit only a moist vapor, and are neither more 
nor less than huge nostrils. When, however, this vehement 
breathing or blowing is performed under the surface, a consi- 
derable quantity of water is thrown up into the air. The sound 
thus occasioned is th« only thing like a voice emitted by the 
animal, and, in case of a violent respiration, it resembles the 
discharge of a cannon. 

The tail is the most active limb of this mighty animal, and 
the chief instrument of his motion. It does not rise vertical- 
ly like that of most fishes, being flat and horizontal, only four 
or five feet long, but more than twenty feet broad. It con- 
sists of two beds of muscles connected with an extensive 
layer surrounding the body, and inclosed by a thin cover- 
ing of blubber. Its power is tremendous. A single stroke 
throws a large boat Avith all its crew into the air. Sometimes 
the whale places himself in a perpencVcular position, with the 
head downward, and, rearing his tail on high, beats the wa- 
ter wnth aAvful violence. On these occasions the sea foams, 
and vapors darken the air; the lashing is heard several miles 
off^ like the roar of a distant tempest. Sometimes he makes 
an immense spring, and rears his whole body above the 
waves, to the admiration of the experienced whaler, but to 
the terror of those who see, for the first time, this astonishing 



412 THE GREENLAND WHALE FISHERY. 

spectacle. Other motions, equally expressive of his boundless 
strength, attract the attention of the navigator at the distance 
of miles. 

The fins, called by the French nagtolres, and by Dr. Fle- 
ming *' swimming paAvs," are placed immediately behind the 
eyes. They are nine feet long, inclosed by very elastic 
membranes, and provided with bones similar in form and 
number to those of the human hand. Such is the spring and 
vitality of the parts, that, if we may believe Dr. Reste, they 
continue to move for some time after being separated from 
the body. According to Mr. Scoresby, however, while the 
whale swims, these organs lie flat on the surface of the wa- 
ter, and are not at all instrumental in producing his motion, 
which arises entirely from the tail. The fins merely direct 
and steady the movement, and thus serve rather as a helm 
than as oars. 

The period of gestation in the whale is nine or ten months, 
and the female brings forth in February or March. She is 
viviparous ; that is, the young come forth alive, not inclosed 
in an egg ; and there is usually only one at a time. These 
delicate nurslings, only about fourteen feet long, and weigh- 
ing little more than a ton, are watched over by the mother 
with the most tender care. The whalers strike these suckers, 
as they are called, not on account of their own value, but un- 
der the assurance that the mother will start forth in their de- 
fence. Then ensues a contest hard and perilous, but commonly 
attended with a prosperous issue, for she never seeks safety 
in flight. She rushes upon the boat, drags the line with ex- 
traordinary force, tosses to and fro with extreme agony, and 
suffers herself to be struck by repeated harpoons without at- 
tempting tO' escape; while the good-natured captain has his 
triumphant feelings damped by the consideration that his prize 
has fallen the victim to such an ardor of maternal tenderness. 
According to indications afforded by notches in the whale- 
bone, which seem not, however, very fully established, the 
whale does not attain his full growth under twenty-five years, 
and is said to reach a very great age. 



THE GREENLAND WHALE FISHERY. 1830. 

From a file of English papers, published at Newcastle-upon- 
Tyne, 1830, it appears that the Greenland Whale Fishery is 



THE GREENLAND WHALE FISHERY. 413 

extremely depressed. The whales have become exceedingly 
scarce, so that the last vessels have returned home utterly 
destitute, and those who have been depending on these returns 
for support, are thrown into necessitous circumstances. A 
liberal subscription has been opened for these suffering mari- 
ners at Newcastle, and a numerous public meeting was held 
at North Shields, which raised a handsome sum. It was stat- 
ed at the meeting, that above 120 seamen belonging to North 
Shields had returned without success, and at least thirty had 
suffered shipwreck. 

In addition to the total want of success in the fishery, it 
seems the Greenland Whalemen have been subjected also to 
storms and shipwrecks to an unprecedented degree. The 
T3'ne Mercury, of November 2, contains the following extract 
of a letter from a young gentleman Avho acted as surgeon on 
board one of the whalers in Davis's Straits. 

"The remembrance of every other transaction is lost when 
I begin to think of the awful scenes and most disastrous events 
which have lately occurred. On Friday forenoon the sky 
was clear, but about two P. M. it became suddenly overcast, 
and blew a strong gale from the SSW. accompanied by a 
thick sleet and snow. This awakened our apprehensions, 
and, indeed, it was not long before they were realized. At 
nearly four o'clock our dock — sawn with extreme labor, and 
upon which all our hopes centred — gave way. This was 
the general signal for getting our 'traps' on the ice. After 
each had got what belonged to himself in safety on the ice, 
provisions were then hoisted up — for, in the first instance, no- 
thing but self-interest Avas attended to. The pressure of the 
ice seemed to be going regularly along ; it now passed on to 
several vessels to the eastward of us ; about three hundred 
yards in that direction lay the Resolution, of Peterhead ; the 
Laurel, of Hull ; and the Letitia, of Aberdeen, in one dock ; 
the latter vessel, unable to withstand the tremendous pressure 
of the ice, was soon upon her beam-ends, and in a short time 
afterward her masts went by the board, and she became a to- 
tal Avreck. The Princess of Wales, of Aberdeen, was next 
crushed to pieces ; and the ice continuing to press the whole 
of the night, but in a more gradual manner, many of the ves- 
sel^ were on their beam-ends, but again righted ; several were 
crushed many feet above the ice a-stern, and others a-head. 
We were lying in dock, yet often did we hear our vessel 
crack, and at one time having heard a crash, though we were 
ignorant which of the vessels it was, simultaneously rush- 

35* 



414 THE POLAR BEAR. 

ed on the ice : a hollow on our starboard bow, produced by 
the pressure of the two vessels, was the cause of this. All 
Saturday the gale continued ; but though the ice seemed to 
be brought up, out of the sixteen vessels lying Avithin short 
spaces of each other, all were more or less damaged, except 
the Cumbrian, of Hull, and a Dutch vessel. On Wednesday, 
the 30th of June, a melancholy accident occurred at one of 
the wrecks, while endeavoring to get out a cable. A man 
belonging to the Triad, of Kirkaldy, had one of his feet tore 
off above the ancle. The leg was afterward amputated below 
the knee. This forenoon the Resolution was set on fire, and 
burned to the water's edge." 

The master of one of the lost vessels, in a letter dated Ex- 
eter Bay, 15th Sept. writes as follows. 

" On the 2d July our vessel, along with several others, 
was caught by the ice, which came with such overwhelm- 
ing force against her, that it fairly lifted her out of the 
water on the surface of the ice, as if to give us the last 
look of her before she parted. She made a most majestic 
appearance, standing as upright as if she had been docked. 
It was not before the water had reached her cabin sole that I 
abandoned her, to take my seat on my chest that was standing 
on the ice, there to witness the last struggles of our gallant 
bark. I am unable to depict the magnificent scene that pre- 
sented itself to my view, but it was one which would have 
suited either poet or painter. The first symptoms of de- 
struction appeared among the half-deck planks ; then the 
standing rigging and stays became slackened, and nothing 
was heard but the crashing of the hull as she went to pieces. 
Her masts meantime slowly bent toward each other, as if to 
take their final adieu ; and when they came in collision, they 
seemed to say, " and must we part." They then fell with a 
tremendous crash ; and the hull was buried for ever beneath a 
floe of ice six feet in thickness. It was an appalling — a heart- 
rending spectacle." 



THE POLAR BEAR. 

In the caves of the rocks, or in the hollows of the ice, dwells 
the most formidable of arctic quadrupeds, the Greenland or 
polar bear. This fierce tyrant of the cliffs and snows of the 



THE POLAR BEAU. 415 

north unites the strength of the lion with the untamable 
fierceness of the hyena. A long shaggy covering of white 
soft hair, and a copious supply of fat, enable feim to defy the 
winter of this rigorous climate. Under the heat of Britain 
he suffers the most painful sensations : Pennant saw one, 
over whom it was neceessary from time to time to pour large 
pailfuls of water. Another, kept for some years by Professor 
Jameson, evidently suffered severel}'- from the heat of an Edin- 
burgh summer. The haunt of the bear is on the dreary 
arctic shores, or on mountains of ice, sometimes two hundred 
miles from land ; yet he is not, strictly speaking, amphibious. 
He cannot remain under water above a few moments, and he 
reaches his maritime stations only by swimming from one 
icy fragment to another. Mr. Scoresby limits the swimming 
reach to three or four miles ; yet Parry found one in the cen- 
tre of Barrow's Strait, where it was forty miles across. This 
bear prowls continually for his prey, which consists chiefly 
of the smaller cecacia, and of seals, which, unable to contend 
with him, shun their fate by keeping strict watch, and plunging 
into the depths of the waters. With the walrus he holds 
dreadful and doubtful encounters ; and that powerful animal, 
with his enormous tusks, frequently beats him off with great 
damage. The whale he dares not attack, but watches anx- 
iously for the huge carcass in a dead state, which affords him 
a prolonged and delicious feast : he scents it at the distance 
of miles. All these sources of supply being precarious, he is 
sometimes left for weeks without food, and the fury of his 
hunger then becomes tremendous. At such periods, man, 
viewed by him always as his prey, is attacked with peculiar 
fierceness. 

The annals of the north are filled with accounts of the most 
perilous and fatal conflicts of the polar bear. The first, and 
one of the most tragical, was sustained by Barantz and Heems- 
kerke, in 1596, during their voyage for the discovery of the 
north-east passage. Having anchored at an island near the 
strait of Waygatz, two of the sailors landed, and were Avalk- 
ing on shore, when one of them felt himself closely hugged 
from behind. Thinking this a frolic of one of his compan- 
ions, he called out in a corresponding tone, " Who's there ? 
pray stand off." His comrade looked, and screamed out, 
" A bear ! a bear !" then running to the ship, alarmed the 
crew with loud cries. The sailors ran to the spot armed with 
pikes and muskets. On their approach the bear very coolly 
quitted the mangled corpse, sprang upon another sailor, car- 



416 



THE POLAR BEAR. 



ried him off! and, plunging his teeth into his body, began 
drinking his blood in long draughts. Hereupon the Avhole of 
that stout crew, struck with terror, turned their backs and 
fled precipitately to the ship. On arriving there they began 
to look at each other, unable to feel much satisfaction with 
their own prowess. Three then stood forth, undertaking to 
avenge the fate of their countrymen, and to secure for them 
the rites of burial. They advanced, and fired at first from so 
respectful a distance that they all missed. The purser then 
courageously proceeded in front of his companions, and tak- 
ing a close aim, pierced the monster's skull immediately be- 
low the eye. The bear, however, merely lifted his head, and 
advanced upon them, holding still in his mouth the victim 
whom he was devouring ; but seeing him soon stagger, the 
three rushed on with sabre and bayonet, and soon despatched 
him. They collected and bestowed decent sepulture on the 
mangled limbs of their comrades, while the skin of the ani- 
mal, thirteen feet long, became the prize of the sailor who had 
fired the successful shot. 

The history of the whale-fishers records a number of re- 
markable escapes from the bear. A Dutch captain, Jonge 
Kees, in 1668, undertook, with two canoes, to attack one, and 
with a lance gave him so dreadful a wound in the belly that 
his immediate death seemed inevitable. Anxious, therefore, 
not to injure the skin, Kees merely followed the animal close, 
till he should drop down dead. The bear, however, having 
climbed a little rock, made a spring from the distance of twen- 
ty-four feet upon the captain, who, taken completely by sur- 
prise, lost hold of the lance and fell beneath the assailant, 
who, placing both paws on his breast, opened two rows of tre- 
mendous teeth, and paused for a moment, as if to show him 
all the horrors of his situation. At this critical instant a sail- 
or, rushing forward with only a scoop, succeeded in alarmmg 
the monster, who made off, leaving the captaiu without the 
slightest injury. 

In 1788, Captain Cook, of the Archangel, when near the 
coast of Spitzbergen, found himself suddenly between the 
paws of a bear. He instantly called on the surgeon, who ac- 
companied him, to fire, which the latter did with such admi- 
rable promptitude and precision, that he shot the beast through 
the head, and delivered the captain. Mr. Hawkins, of the Ever- 
thorpe, in July, 1818, having pursued and twice struck a largo 
bear, had raised his lance for a third blow, when the animal 
sprang forward, seized him by the thigh, and threw him over 



THE POLAR BEAR. 417 

its head into the water. Fortunately it used this advantage 
only to effect its own escape. Captain Scoresby mentions a 
boat's crew which attacked a bear in the Spitzbergen sea ; 
but the animal having succeeded in climbing the sides of the 
boat, all the sailors threw themselves for safety into the wa- 
ter, where they hung by the gunwale. The victor entered 
triumphantly and took possession of the barge, where it sat 
quietly till it was shot by another party. The same writer 
mentions the ingenious contrivance of a sailor, who being 
pursued by one of these creatures, threw down successively 
his hat, jacket, handkerchief, and every other article in his 
possession, when the brute pausing at each, gave the sailor 
always a certain advantage, and enabled him finally to regain 
the vessel. 

Though the voracity of the bear is such that he has been 
known to feed on his own species, yet maternal tenderness is 
as conspicuous in the female as in other inhabitants of the 
frozen regions. There is no exertion she will not make for 
the supply of her progeny. A she bear with her two cubs, 
being pursued by some sailors across a field of ice, and find- 
ing that neither by example nor by a peculiar voice and ac- 
tion she could urge them to the requisite speed, applied her 
paws and pitched them alternately forward. The little crea- 
tures themselves, as she came up, threw themselves before 
her to receive the impulse, and thus both she and they effected 
their escape. 

Bears are by no means devoid of intelligence. Their 
schemes for entrapping seals, and other animals on which 
they feed, often display considerable ingenuity. The manner 
in which the polar bear surprises his victim is thus described 
by Captain Lyon : — On seeing his intended prey, he gets qui- 
etly into the water and swims to a leeward position, from 
whence, by frequent short dives, he silently makes his ap- 
proaches, and so arranges his distance that, at the last dive, 
he comes to the spot where the seal is lying. If the poor ani- 
mal attempts to escape by rolling into the water, he falls into 
the paws of the bear ; if, on the contrary, he lies still, his de- 
stroyer makes a powerful spring, kills him on the ice, and de- 
vours him at leisure. Some sailors, endeavoring to catch a 
bear, placed the noose of a rope under the snow, baited with a 
piece of whale's flesh. The bear, however, contrived three 
successive times to push the noose aside, and to carry off" the 
bait unhurt. Captain Scoresby had half-tamed two cubs, which 
used even to walk the deck ; but they showed themselves al- 



418 LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 

ways restless under this confinement, and finally eflfected their 
escape. 

According to Pennant and other writers, the hear forms 
chambers in the great ice-mountains, where he sleeps the long 
winter night, undisturbed by the roar of the northern tempest ; 
but this regular hibernation is doubted by many recent observ- 
ers. The fact seems to be, that the males roam about all -win- 
ter in search of prey, not being under the same necessity of 
submitting to the torpid state as the black bear of America, 
which feeds chiefly on vegetable food ; but the females, who 
are usually pregnant during the more rigorous season of the 
year, seclude themselves for nearly the entire winter in their 
dens. 



LOSS OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP PHOENIXi 

Off the Island of Cuba, in the Year 1780. By Lieutenant 

Archer. 

The Phoenix, of 44 guns. Captain Sir Hyde Parker, waa 
lost in a hurricane, off Cuba, in the year 1780. The same 
hurricane destroyed the Thunderer, 74; Sterling Castle, 64; 
La Blanche, 42 ; Laurel, 28 ; Andromeda, 28 ; Deal Castle, 
24; Scarborough, 20; Beaver's Prize, 16; Barbadoes, 14; 
Cameleon, 14; Endeavor, 14; and Victor, 10 guns. Lieu- 
ifenant Archer was first lieutenant of the Phoenix at the time 
she was lost. His narrative, in a letter to his mother, con- 
tains a most correct and animated account of one of the most 
awful events in the service. It is so simple and natural as to 
make the reader feel himself on board the Phoenix. Every 
circumstance is detailed with feeling, and powerful appeals 
are continually made to the heart. It must likewise afford 
considerable pleasure to observe the devout spirit of a seaman 
frequently bursting forth and imparting sublimity to the re- 
lation. 

At sea, June 30, 1780. 

My Dearest Madam, — I am now going to give you an 
account of our last cruise in the Phoenix ; and must premise 
that, should any one see it beside yourself, they must put this 
construction on it — that it was originally intended for the eyes 
of a mother, and a mother only — as upon that supposition 



LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 4l0 

my feelings may be tolerated. You will also meet with a 
number of sea terms, which, if you do not understand, why, 
I cannot help you, as I am unable to give a sea description in 
any other words. 

To begin then: — On the 2d of April, 1780, we weighed 
and sailed from Port Royal, bound for Pensacola, having two 
store-ships under convoy, and to see safe in ; then cruise off 
the Havanna, and the gulf of Mexico, for six weeks. In a 
few days we made the two sandy islands that look as if they 
had just risen out of the sea, or fallen from the sky ; inhabit- 
ed, nevertheless, by upward of three hundred Englishmen, 
who get their bread by catching turtles and parrots, and rais- 
ing vegetables, which they exchange with ships that pass, for 
clothing, and a few of the luxuries of life. 

About the 12th we arrived at Pensacola, without any thing 
remarkable happening, except our catching a vast quantity of 
iish, sharks, dolphins, and bonettos. On the 13th sailed sin- 
gly, and on the 1 4th had a very heavy gale of wind at north, 
right off the land, so that we soon left the sweet place, Pen- 
sacola, a distance astern. We then looked into the Havanna, 
saw a number of ships there, and knowing that some of them, 
were bound round the bay, we cruised in the track : a fort- 
night, however, passed, and not a single ship hove in sight to 
cheer our spirits. We then took a turn or two round the 
gulf, but not near enough to be seen from the shore. Vera 
Cruz we expected would have made us happy, but the same 
luck still continued ; day follow^ed day, and no sail. The 
dollar bag began to grow a little bulky, for every one had 
lost two or three times, and no one had won : (this was a 
small gambling party entered into by Sir Hyde and ourselves ; 
every one put a dollar into a bag, and fixed on a day when 
we should see a sail, but no two persons were to name the 
same day, and whoever guessed right first was to have the 

Being now tired of our situation, and glad the cruise vras 
almost out, for we found the navigation very dangerous, ow- 
ing to unaccountable currents, we shaped our course for 
Cape Antonio. The next day the man at the mast head, at 
about one o'clock in the afternoon, called out, " A sail upon 
the weather bow ! Ha ! ha ! Mr. Spaniard, I think we have 
you at last. Turn out all hands ! make sail ! All hands give 
chase !" There was scarcely any occasion for this order, for 
the sound of a sail being in sight flew like wuldfire through 
the ship, and every sail was set in an instant, almost before 



420 LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 

the orders were g-iven. A lieutenant at the mast head, with 
a spy-glass, " What is she ?" " A large ship studding athwart 
right hefore he wind. P-o-r-t ! Keep her away ! set the stud- 
ding sails ready!" Up comes the little doctor, rubbing his 
hands ; " Ha ! ha ! I have won the bag." " The devil take 
you and the bag ; look, what's ahead will fill all our bags." 
Mast-head again : " Two more sail on the larboard beam !" 
" Archer, go up and see what you can make of them." " Upon 
deck there ; I see a whole fleet of twenty sail coming right 
before the wind." " Confound the luck of it, this is some 
convoy or other ; but we must try if we can pick some of 
them out." " Haul down the studding sails ! Luff! brmg her 
to the wind! Let us see what we can make of them." 

About five we got pretty near them, and found them to be 
twenty-six sail of Spanish merchantmen, under convoy of 
three line of battle ships, one of which chased us ; but when 
she found we were playing with her (for the old Phoenix had 
heels) she left chase and joined the convoy ; which they drew 
up into a lump, and placed themselves at the outside ; but we 
still kept smelling about till after dark. O for the Hector, 
the Albion, and a frigate, and we should take the whole fleet 
and convoy, worth some millions ! About eight o'clock per- 
ceived three sail at some distance from the fleet ; dashed in 
between them and gave chase, and were happy to find they 
steered from the fleet. About twelve, came up with a large 
ship of twenty-six guns. " Archer, every man to his quar- 
ters ! run the lower deck guns out, and light the ship up : 
show this fellow our force ; it may prevent his firing into us 
and killing a man or two." No sooner said than done. 
" Hoa, the ship ahoy ! lower your sails and bring to instantly, 
or I'll sink you." Clatter clatter went the blocks, and 
away flew all their sails in proper confusion. " What ship is 
that ?" " The Polly." " Whence came you ?" " From Ja- 
maica." " Where are you bound ?" " To New- York." 
" What ship is that ?" " The Phoenix." Huzza, three times 
by the whole ship's company. An old grum fellow of a sailor 
standing close by me : " O d — n your three cheers, we took 
you to be something else." Upon examination we found it to 
be as he reported, and that they had fallen in with the Spanish 
fleet that morning, and were chased the whole day, and that 
nothing saved them but our stepping in between ; for the 
Spaniards took us for three consorts, and the Polly took the 
Phcenix for a Spanish frigate, till we hailed them. The other 
vessels in company were likewise bound to New-York. Thus 



LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 421 

was I, from being worth thousands in idea, reduced to the old 
4s. 6d. per day again; for the little doctor made the most 
prize money of us all that day, by winning th^ oag, which 
contained between thirty and forty dollars ; but this is nothing 
to what we sailors undergo. 

After parting company, we steered S. S. E. to go round 
Antonio, and so to Jamaica, (our cruise being out,) with our 
fingers in our mouths, and all of us as green as you please. 
It happened to be my middle Avatch, and about three o'clock, 
when the man upon the forecastle bawls out, " Breakers 
ahead, and land upon the lee bow!" I looked out, and it was 
so, sure enough. " Ready about ! Put the helm down ! Helm 
a lee !" Sir Hyde hearing me put the ship about, jumped upon 
deck. " Archer, what's the matter 1 you are putting the ship 
about without my orders!" Sir, 'tis time to go about; the 
ship is almost ashore ; there is the land. " Good God, so it is ! 
AVill the ship stay?" Yes, sir, I believe she will, if we don't 
make any confusion ; she is all aback — forward now ? " Well, 
(says he,) work the ship ; I will not speak a single word." 
The ship stayed very well. Then heave the lead ! see what 
water we have ! " Three fathom." Keep the ship away, 
W. N. W. " By the mark three." " This won't do. Archer." 
No, sir, we had belter haul more to the northward ; we c^^'^e 
S. S. E. and had better steer N. N. W. "Steady, and a 
quarter three." This may do, as we deepen a little. " By 
the deep four." Very well, my lad, heave quick. " Five 
fathom." That's a fine fellow ! another cast nimbly. " Quar- 
ter less eight." That will do ; come, we shall get clear by 
and by. " Mark under water five." What's that ? " Only- 
five fathom, sir." Turn all hands up; bring the ship to an 
anchor, boy! Are the anchors clear? "In a moment, sir — 
all clear." What water have you in the chains now ? " Eight, 
half nine." Keep fast the anchors till I call you. " Ay, 
ay, sir, all fast." " I have nO ground with this line." How 
many fathoms have you out ? pass along the deep-sea line ! 
"Ay, ay, sir." Heave away — watch! watch! bear away, 
veer away. " No ground, sir, with a hundred fathom." 
That's clever! Come, Madam Phcenix, there is another squeak 
in you yet. All down but the watch; secure the anchors 
again ; heave the maintop-sail to the mast ; luff, and bring 
her to the wind ! 

I told you, Madam, you should have a little sea jargon ; if 
yOu can understand half of what is already said, I wonder at 
it, though it is nothing to what is to come yet, when the old 

36 



422 LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 

hurricane begins. As soon as the ship was a little to rights, 
and all quiet again, Sir Hyde came to me in the most friendly- 
manner, the tears almost starting from his eyes — " Archer, 
ws ought all to be much obliged to you for the safety of the 
ship, and perhaps of ourselves. I am particularly so; noth- 
ing but that instantaneous presence of mind and calmness 
saved her; another ship's length, and we should have been 
fast on shore ; had you been the least diffident, or made the 
least confusion, so as to make the ship haulk in her stays, she 
must have been inevitably lost." Sir, you are very good, but 
I have done nothing that I suppose any body else would not 
have done in the same situation. 1 did not turn atl the hands 
up, knowing the watch able to work the ship: beside, had it 
spread immediately about the ship that she was almost ashore, 
it might have created a confusion that was better avoided. 
" Well," says he, " 'tis well indeed." 

At daylight we found that the current had set us between 
the Colladora rocks and Cape Antonio, and that we could not 
have got out any other w^ay than w^e did ; there was a chance, 
but Providence is the best pilot. We had sunset that day 
twenty leagues to the S. E. of our reckoning by the current. 

After getting clear of this scrape, we thought ourselves for- 
tunate, and made sail for Jamaica ; but misfortune seemed to 
follow misfortune. The next night, my watch upon deck too, 
we were overtaken by a squall, like a hurricane while it last- 
ed ; for though I saw it coming, and prepared for it, yet, when 
it took the ship, it roared and laid her down so, that I thought 
she would never get up again. However, by keeping her 
away, and clueing up every thing, she righted. The remain- 
der of the night we had very heavy squalls, and in the morn- 
ing found the main-mast sprung half the way through : one 
hundred and twenty-three leagues to the leeward of Jamaica, 
the hurricane months coming on, the head of the main-mast 
almost off, and at a short allowance ; well, we must make the 
best of it. The main-mast was well finished, but we were 
obliged to be very tender of carrying the sail. 

Nothing remarkable happened for ten days afterward, 
when we chased a Yankee man of war for six hours, but 
could not get near enough to her before it was dark to keep 
sight of her ; so that we lost her because unable to carry any 
sail on the main-mast. In about twelve days more made the 
island of Jamaica, having weathered all the squalls, and put 
into Montego Bay for water ; so that we had a strong party 
for kicking up a dust on shore, having found three men of war 



LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 423 

lying there. Dancing, &c. &c. till two o'clock every morn- 
ing ; little thinking what was to happen in four days' time : 
for out of the four men of war that were there, not one was 
in being at the end of that time, and not a soul aliv^e but those 
left of our crevv. Many of the houses where we had been so 
merry, were so completely destroyed that scarcely a vestige 
remained to mark where they stood. Thy works are won- 
derful, O God ! praised be thy holy name 1^ 

September the oOth, weighed ; bound for Port Royal, round 
the eastward of the island; the Barbadoes and Victor had 
sailed the day before, and the Scarborough was to sail the 
next. Moderate weather until October the 2d. Spoke to the 
Barbadoes, off Port Antonio, in the evening. At eleven at 
night it began to snuffle, with a monstrous heavy bill from 
the eastward. Close reefed the top sails. Sir Hyde sent for 
me: " What sort of weather have we, Archer ?" It blows a 
little, and has a very ug]y look ; if in any other quarter but 
this, I should say we were going to have a gale of wind. 
" Ay, it looks so very often here when there is no wind at 
all; however, don't hoist the top sails till it clears a little, 
there is no trusting any country." At twelve I was relieved ; 
the weather had the same rough look : however, they made 
sail upon her, but had a very dirty night. At eight in the 
morning I came up again, found it blowing hard from the E. 
N. E. with close reeled top sails upon the ship, and heavy 
squalls at times. Sir Hyde came upon deck : " Well, Archer, 
what do you think of it?" O, Sir, 'tis only a touch of the 
times ; we shall have an observation at twelve o'clock ; the 
clouds are beginning to break ; it will clear up at noon, or 
else blow very hard afterward. " I wish it would clear up, 
but I doubt it much. I was once in a hurricane in the East 
Indies, and the beginning of it had much the same appear- 
ance as this. So take in the top sails, we have plenty of sea- 
room." 

At twelve, the gale still increasing, wore ship, to keep as 
near mid channel between Jamaica and Cuba as possible; 
at one the gale increasing still; at two harder! Reefed the 
courses, and furled them ; brought to under a foul mizen stay- 
sail, head to the northward. In the evening no sign of the 
weather taking off, but every appearance of the storm in- 
creasing, prepared for a proper gale of wind : secured all the 
sails with spare gaskets ; good rolling tackles upon the yards ; 
squared the booms ; saw the boats all made fast ; new lashed 
the guns ; double breeched the lower deckers ; saw that the 



424 LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 

carpenters had the tarpaulins and batins all ready for hatch- 
ways j got the top-gallant mast down upon the deck ; jib- 
boom and sprit-sail-yard fore and aft ; in fact every thing we 
could think of to make a snug ship. 

The poor devils of birds now began to find the uproar in 
the elements, for numbers, both of sea and land kinds, came 
on board of us. I took notice of some, which happening to 
be to leeward, turned to windward like a ship, tack and tack : 
for they could not fly against it. When they came over the 
ship they dashed themselves down upon the deck, without at- 
tempting to stir till picked up ; and when let go again, they 
would not leave the ship, but endeavored to hide themselves 
from the wind. 

At eight o'clock a hurricane ; the sea roaring, but the wind 
still steady to a point ; did not ship a spoonful of water. 
However, got the hatchways all secured, expecting what 
would be the consequence should the wind shift ; placed the 
carpenters by the main mast, with broad axes, knowing from 
experience, that at the moment you may want to cut it away 
to save the ship, an ax may not be found. Went to supper : 
bread, cheese, and porter. The purser frightened out of his 
wits about his bread-bags ; the two marine officers as white 
as sheets, not understanding the ship's working so much, and 
the noise of the lower deck guns ; which, by this time, made 
a pretty screeching to the people not used to it ; it seemed as 
if the whole ship's side was going at each roll. Wooden, our 
carpenter, was all this time smoking his pipe and laughing at 
the doctor ; the second lieutenant upon deck, and the third in 
his hammock. 

At ten o'clock I thought to get a little sleep : came to look 
into my cot ; it was full of water ; for every seam, by the 
straining of the ship, had begun to leak. Stretched myself, 
therefore, upon deck between two chests, and left orders to be 
called, should the least thing happen. At twelve a midship- 
man came to me : " Mr. Archer, we are just going to wear 
ship. Sir!" O, very well, I'll be up directly; what sort of 
weather have you got? " It blows a hurricane." Went upon 
deck, found Sir Hyde there. " It blows hard, Archer." It 
does indeed. Sir. " I don't know that I ever remember its 
blowing so hard before ; but the ship makes a very good weath- 
er of it upon this tack, as she bows the sea ; but we must 
wear her, as the wind has shifted to the S. E. and we were 
drawing right upon Cuba ; so do you go forward, and have 
some hands stand by ; loose the lee yard-arm of the fore-sail, 



LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 425 

and when she is right before the wind, whip the clue garnet 
close up and roll up the sail." Sir, there is no canvass can 
stand against this a moment: if we attempt to loose him he 
will fly into ribbands in an instant, and we may lose three or 
four of our people ; she'll wear by manning the fore shrouds. 
" O, I don't think she will." I'll answer for it, sir ; I have 
seen it tried several times on the coast of America with suc- 
cess. " Well, try it ; if she does not wear, we can only loose 
the fore-sail afterward," This was a great condescension from 
such a man as Sir Hyde, However, by sending about two 
hundred people into the fore-rigging, after a hard struggle 
she wore ; found she did not make so good w^eather on this 
tack as on the other ; for as the sea began to run across, she 
had not time to rise from one sea before another dashed 
against her. Began to think we should lose our masts, as 
the ship lay very much along by the pressure of the wind 
constantly upon the yards and masts alone : for the poor 
mizen-stay-sail had gone in shreds long before, and the sails 
began to fly from the yards through the gaskets into coach 
whips. My God! to think that the wind could have such 
force ! 

Sir Hyde now sent me to see what was the matter between 
decks, as there was a good deal of noise. As soon as I was 
below, one of the marine officers calls out, " Good God ! Mr. 
Archer, we are sinking : the water is up to the bottom of my 
cot." Pooh, pooh ! as long as it is not over your mouth you 

are Avell off; what the d 1 do you make so much noise for ? 

I found there was some water between decks, but nothing to 
be alarmed at ; we scuttled the deck and run it into the well ; 
found she made a good deal of water through the sides and 
decks ; turned the watch below to the pumps, though only two 
feet of water in the well ; but expected to be kept constantly at 
work now, as the ship labored much, with scarcely a part of 
hex above water but the quarter-deck, and that but seldom. 
Come, pump away, my boys. Carpenters, get the weather 
chain-pump rigged. "All ready, sir." Then man it, and keep 
both pumps going. 

At two o'clock the chain-pump being choked, we set the 
carpenters at work to clear it ; the two head pumps at work 
upon deck ; the water gained upon us while our chain-pumps 
were idle ; in a quarter of an hour they were at work again, 
and we began to gain upon it. While I was standing at the 
pumps cheering the people, the carpenter's mate came run- 
ning to me with a face as long as my arm : O, sir ! the ship 

36* 



426 



LOSS OF THE PHOENlX. 



has sprung a leak in the gunner's room. Go, then, and tell 
the carpenter to come to me, but do not speak a word to any- 
one else. Mr. Goodinoh, I am told there is a leak in the gun- 
ner's room ; go and see what is the matter, but do not alarm 
any body, and come and make your report privately to me. 
In a short time he returned ; " Sir, there is nothing there : it is 
only the Avater washing up between the timbers that this 
booby has taken for a leak." O, very well ; go upon deck and 
see if you can keep any of the water from washing down be- 
low. " Sir, I have had four people constantly keeping the hatch- 
ways secure, but there is such a weight of water upon the 
deck that nobody can stand when the ship rolls." The gun- 
ner soon afterward came to me, saying, " Mr. Archer, I should 
be glad to have you step this way into the magazine for a 

moment. I thought some d d thing was the matter, and 

ran directly. Well, what is the matter here ? He answered, 
" The ground tier of the powder is spoiled, and I want to show 
you that it is not out of carelessness in me in stowing it, for 
no powder in the world could be better stowed. Now, sir, what 
am I to do ? If you do not speak to Sir Hyde, he will be an- 
gry with me." I could not forbear smiling to see how easy he 
took the danger of the ship, and said to him, Let us shake 
off this gale of wind first, and talk of the damaged powder 
afterward. 

At four we had gained upon the ship a little, and I went 
upon deck, it being my watch. The second lieutenant re- 
lieved me at the pumps. Who can attempt to describe the 
appearance of things upon deck ? If I was to write for ever, 
I could not give you an idea of it — a total darkness all above : 
the sea on fire, running as if it were in the Alps, or Peaks of 
T^neriffe; (mountains are too common an idea;) the wind 
roaring louder than thunder, (absolutely no flight of imagina- 
tion,) the whole made more terrible, if possible, by a very un- 
common kind of blue lightning; the poor ship very much 
pressed, yet doing what she could, shaking her sides and 
groaning at- every stroke. Sir Hyde upon deck lashed to 
windward ! I soon lashed myself along side of him, and told 
him the situation of things below, saying the ship did not 
make more water than might be expected in such weather, 
and that I was only afraid of a gun breaking loose. "I am 
not in the least afraid of that ; I have commanded her six 
years, and have had many a gale of wind in her ; so that her 
iron work, which always gives way first, is pretty well tried. 
Hold fest ! that was an ugly sea ; we must lower the yards, I 



t 

LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 427 

believe, Archer; the ship is much pressed." If we attempt 
it, Sir, we shall lose them, for a man can do nothing ; beside, 
their being down would ease the ship very little ; the main- 
mast is a sprung mast ; I wish it was overboard without car- 
rying any thing else along with it ; but that can soon be done, 
the gale cannot last for ever ; 'twill soon be daylight now. 
Found by the master's watch that it was five o'clock, though 
but a little after four by ours ; I was glad it was so near day- 
light, and looked for it with much anxiety. Cuba, thou art 
much in our way ! Another ugly sea : sent a midshipman to 
bring news from the pumps ; the ship was gaining on them 
very much, for they had broken one of their chains, but it was 
almost mended again. News from the pump again. " She 
still gains I a heavy lee !'' Back-water from leeward, half way 
up the quarter deck ; filled one of the cutters upon the booms, 
and tore her all to pieces : the ship lying almost on her beam 
ends, and not attempting to right again. Word from below 
that the ship still gained on them, as they could not stand to 
the pumps, she lay so much along. I said to Sir Hyde : This 
is no time, Sir, to think of saving the masts, shall we cut the 
mainmast away? " Ay! as fast as you can." I accordingly 
went into the weather-chains with a pole-ax, to cut away the 
lanyards ; the boatswain went to leeward, and the carpenters 
stood by the masts. We were all ready, when a very violent 
sea broke right on board of us, carried everything upon deck 
away, filled the ship with water, the m.ain and mizen-masts 
went, the ship righted, but was in the last struggle of sinking 
under us. 

As soon as we could shake our heads above water, Sir 
Hyde exclaimed : " We are gone, at last, Archer ! foundered 
at sea!" Yes, Sir, farewell, and the Lord have mercy upon 
us I I then turned about to look at the ship, and thought she 
was struggling to get rid of some of the water ; but all in vain, 
she was almost fall below. " Almighty God ! I thank thee, 
that now I am leaving this world, which I have always con- 
sidered as only a passage to a better, I die with a full hope of 
thy mercies through the merits of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our 
Savior I" 

I then felt sorry that I could swim, as by that means I 
might be a quarter of an hour longer dying than a man who 
could not, and it is impossible to divest ourselves of a wish to 
preserve life. At the end of these reflections I thought I 
heard the ship thump and grinding under our feet ; it was so. 
Sir, the ship is ashore ! " What do you say?" The ship is 



428 LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 

ashore, and we may save ourselves yet ! By this time the 
quarter deck is full of men who had come up from below ; and 
the " Lord have mercy upon us," flying about from all quar- 
ters. The ship now made every body sensible that she was 
ashore, for every stroke threatened a total dissolution of her 
whole frame ; we found she was stern ashore, and the bow 
broke the sea a good deal, though it was washing clean over 
at every stroke. Sir Hyde cried out, " Keep to the quarter deck, 
my lads ; when she goes to pieces it is your best chance!" 
Providentially got the foremast cut away, that she might not 
pay round broad side. Lost five in cutting away the foremast, 
by the breaking of a sea on board just as the mast went. That 
was nothing; every one expected it would be his own fate 
next ; looked for daybreak with the greatest impatience. At 
last it came ; but what a scene did it show us ! The ship upon 
a bed of rocks, mountains of them on one side, and Cordille- 
ras of water on the other; our poor ship grinding and crying 
out at every stroke between them ; going away by piece-meal. 
However, to show the unaccountable workings of Providence, 
that which often appears to be the greatest evil, proves to be 
the greatest good ! That unmerciful sea lifted and beat us up 
so high among the rocks, that at last the ship scarcely moved. 
She was very strong, and did not go to pieces at the first 
thumping, though her decks tumbled in. We found after- 
ward that she had beat over a ledge of rocks almost a quarter 
of a mile in extent beyond us, where, if she had struck, every 
soul of us must have perished. 

I now began to think of getting on shore, so I stripped off 
my coat and shoes for a swim, and looked for a line to carry 
the end with me. Luckily I could not find one, which gave 
me time for recollection : " This won't do for me, to be the 
first man out of the ship, and first lieutenant ; we may get to 
England again, and people may think I paid a great deal of 
attention to myself, and did not care for any body else. No, 
that won't do ; instead of being the first, I'll see every man, 
sick and well, out of her before me." 

I now thought there was no probability of the ship's soon 
going to pieces, therefore had not a thought of instant death : 
took a look round with a kind of philosophic eye, to see how 
the same situation affected my companions, and Avas surprised 
to find the most swaggering, swearing bullies in fine wea- 
ther, now the most pitiful wretches on earth, when death 
appeared before them. However, two got safe; by which 
means, with a line, we got a hawser on shore, and made fast 



LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 429 

to the rocks, upon which many ventured and arrived safe. 
There \yere some sick and w^ounded on board, who could not 
avail themselves of this method ; we therefore got a spare 
top-sail yard from the chains and placed one end ashore and 
the other on the cabin window, so that most of the sick got 
ashore this way. 

As I had determined, so I was the last man out of the ship ; 
this was about ten o'clock. The gale now began to break. 
Sir Hyde came to me, aud taking me by the hand, was so 
affected that he was scarcely able to speak. " Archer, I am 
happy beyond expression to see you on the shore, but look 
at our poor Phoenix !" I turned about, but could not say a 
single word, being too full ; my mind had been too intensely 
occupied before ; but every thing now rushed upon me at 
once, so that I could not contain myself, and I indulged for a 
full quarter of an hour. 

By twelve it was pretty moderate ; got some nails on shore 
and made tents ; we found great quantities of fish driven up 
by the sea into holes of the rocks : knocked up a fire and had 
a most comfortable dinner. In the afternoon we made a stage 
from the cabin windows to the rocks, and got out some pro- 
yisions and water, lest the ship should go to pieces, in which 
case we must all have perished of hunger and thirst ; for 
we were upon a desolate part of the coast, and under a rocky 
mountain that could not supply us with a single drop of 
water. 

Slept comfortably this night, and the next day the idea of 
death vanishing by degrees, the prospect of being prisoners, 
during the war, at the Havana, and walking three hundred 
miles to it through the woods, was rather unpleasant. How- 
ever, to save life for the present, we employed this day in get- 
ting more provisions and water on shore, which was not an 
easy matter, on account of decks, guns, and rubbish, and ten 
feet of water that lay over them. In the evening I proposed 
to Sir Hyde to repair the remains of the only boat left, and 
to venture in her to Jamaica myself; and in case I arrived 
safe, to bring vessels to take them all off; a proposal worthy 
of consideration. It was next day agreed to ; therefore we got 
the cutter on shore, and set the carpenters to work on her ; 
in two days she was ready, and at four o'clock in the after- 
noon I embarked with four volunteers and a fortnight's provi- 
sion ; hoisted English colors as we put off from shore, and 
received three cheers from the lads left behind, and set sail 
with a light heart : having not the least doubt that, with God's 



430 LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 

assistance, we should come and bring them all off. Had a 
very squally night, and a very leaky boat, so as to keep two 
buckets constantly bailing. Steered her myself the whole 
night by the stars, and in the morning saw the coast of Ja- 
maica, distant twelve leagues. At eight in the evening arriv- 
ed at Montego Bay. 

I must now begin to leave off, particularly as I have but 
half an hour to conclude; else my pretty Ltile short letter 
will lose its passage, which I should not like, after being ten 
days, at different times, writing it, beating up with the convoy 
to the northward, which is a reason that this epistle will never 
read well ; for I never sat down with a proper disposition to 
go on with it ; but as I knew something of the kind would 
please you, I was resolved to finish it ; yet it will not bear an 
overhaul ; so do not expose your son's nonsense. 

But to proceed — I instantly sent off an express to the Ad- 
miral, another to the Porcupine man of war, and went myself 
to Martha Bray to get vessels ; for all their vessels here, as 
well as many of their houses, were gone to Moco. Got three 
small vessels, and set out back again to Cuba, where I arrived 
the fourth day after leaving my companions. I thought the 
ship's crew would have devoured me on my landing ; they 
presently whisked me up on their shoulders and carried me 
to the tent wh,ere Sir Hyde was. 

I must omit many little concurrences that happened on 
shore, for want of time ; but I shall have a number of stories 
to tell when I get along side of you ; and the next time I visit 
you I shall not be in such a hurry to quit you as I was the 
last, for then I hoped my nest would have been pretty well 
feathered : — But my tale is forgotten. 

I found the Porcupine had arrived that day, and the lads 
had built a boat almost ready for launching that would hold 
fifty of them, which was intended for another trial, in case I 
had foundered. Next day embarked all our people that were 
left, amounting to two hundred and fifty ; for some had died of 
the wounds they received in getting on shore ; others of drink- 
ing rum, and others had straggled into the country. All our 
vessels were so full of people that we could not take away 
the few clothes that were saved from the wreck ; but that Avas 
a trifle, since we had preserved our lives and liberty. To 
make short my story, we all arrived safe at Montego Bay, and 
shortly after at Port Royal, in the Janus, which was sent on 
purpose for us, and were all honorably acquitted for the loss 
of the ship. I was made admiral's aid-de-camp, and a little 



SHIPWRECK OF THE JONGE THOMAS, 431 

time afterward sent down to St. Juan as captain of the Re- 
source, to bring what were left of the poor devils to Blue 
Fields, on the Musquito shore, and then to Jamaica, where 
they arrived after three months absence, and without a prize, 
though I looked out hard off Porto Bello and Carthagena. 
Found that in my absence I had been appointed captain of 
the Tobago, where I remain his Majesty's most true and faith- 
ful servant, and my dear mother's most dutiful son. 

ARCHER. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE JONGE THOMAS, 

A Dutch East-Indiaman, at the Cape of Good Hope, June 
2d, 1773. 

On the 1st of June, 1773, being Whit-Monday, there aros« 
at the Cape a very high north-west wind, with violent hurri- 
canes and showers of rain. At night, in this storm, the Jonge 
Thomas, one of the four ships belonging to the company that 
were still in the road, having lost all her anchors, one after 
the other, was driven on the sands near the shore at Zoul Ri- 
ver, and, in consequence of her heavy lading, parted into pie- 
ces in the middle. The surge rose to an amazing height on 
the shore, and Zoul River was so swollen as to be almost im- 
passable. It is true, that from the middle of May to the middle 
of August, the company's ships were prohibited from lying 
in the road ; yet it sometimes happened that the governor 
permitted it, in order to avoid the inconveniences of victual- 
ing and lading the ship in False Bay. Independently of the 
loss sustained by the company, as well in ships as merchan- 
dise, a number of the crew likewise unfortunately perished 
on this occasion. They were lost for want of assistance, and 
met A\dth a deplorable death very near the land. Only sixty- 
three men escaped : one hundred and forty-nine being unhap- 
pily drowned. 

The ship had scarcely struck, which happened just at day- 
break, when the most efficacious measures were employed to 
save as much as possible of the company's property that might 
chance to be cast on shore ; though not the least care was 
taken to deliver a single soul of the crew from their forlorn 
and miserable situation. Thirty men were instantly ordered 



432 SHIPWRECK OF THE JONGE THOMAS. 

out, with a stripling of a lieutenant, from the citadel, to take 
the places where the ship lay, in order to keep a strict look 
out, and prevent any of the company's effects from being sto- 
len. A gibbet was erected, and an edict issued at the same 
time, importing that whoever should come near the spot, 
should be hanged immediately, without trial, or sentence be- 
ing passed upon them. On this account, the compassionate 
inhabitants, who had gone out on horseback to the assistance 
of the wretched sufferers, were obliged to return, without be- 
ing able to do them the least service ; but, on the contrary, 
witnessed the brutality and want of feeling evinced on this 
occasion by certain persons, who did not bestow a thought on 
affording the least assistance or relief to their fellow-crea- 
tures upon the wreck, perishing with cold, hunger, and thirst, 
and almost in the arms of death. 

Another circumstance tended to render this otherwise dis- 
tressing scene still more afflicting. Among the few lucky 
enough to save their lives by swimming from the wreck, was 
the gunner, who stripped himself quite naked, in order that 
he might swim the easier, and had the good luck to come 
alive to shore, Avhich was not the case with every one who 
could swim, for many were either dashed to pieces against the 
rocks, or, by the violence of the surf, carried again into the 
sea. When he arrived on shore he found his chest landed 
before him ; but just as he was going to open it and take out 
his great coat, the lieutenant who commanded the party drove 
him away from it, and though he earnestly begged for leave 
to take out the clothes necessary for covering his naked and 
shivering body, and could also prove by the key, fastened, ac- 
cording to the sailor's custom, to his waist, as well as by his 
name cut on the lid of his chest, that it was actually his pro- 
perty, he was, nevertheless, forced to retreat without effecting 
his purpose, by this merciless hero, who gave him several 
smart blows with his cane on his bare back. After he had 
passed the whole day naked and hungry, and exposed to the 
piercing winds, and was going to be taken, in the evening, to 
town along with others who had been saved from the wreck, 
he again asked leave to take a coat out of his chest to cover 
himself with ; but this, having been previously plundered, he 
found empty. On entering the town, where he arrived stark 
naked, he met with a burgher, who took compassion on him 
and lent him his great coat. Afterward he, as well as the 
other unfortunate wretches, were obliged to run about the 
town, several days together, begging victuals, clothes and 



SHIPWRECK OF THE JONGE THOMAS. 433 

money, till at length they received support at the compa- 
ny's expense, and were again taken into its service. 

Another action, honorable to humanity, deserves the more 
to be recorded, as it shows that at all times, and in all places, 
there are both good and considerate people, as well as those 
who have nothing human but the shape. An old man of the 
name of Woltemad, by birth an European, who was at this 
time the keeper of the beasts at the menagerie, near the gar- 
den, had a son in the citadel, who was a corporal, and among 
the first who had been ordered out to Paarden Island, (Horse 
Island,) where a guard was to be placed for the wrecked 
goods. This worthy veteran borrowed a horse and rode out 
in the morning with a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread for 
his son's breakfast. This happened so early that the gibbet 
had not yet been erected, nor the edict posted up, to point out 
to the traveler the nearest road to eternity. The hoary sire 
had no sooner delivered to his son the refreshments he had 
brought him, and heard the lamentations of the distressed 
crew from the wreck, than he resolved to ride his horse, 
which was a good swimmer, to the wreck, with a view of sa- 
ving some of them. He returned safe with two of the unfor- 
tiinate sufferers, and repeated this dangerous trip six times, 
each time bringing with him two men, and thus saved, in all, 
fourteen persons. The horse was by this time so much fa- 
tigued that he did not think it prudent to venture out again .; 
but the cries and entreaties of the poor sufferers on the wreck 
increasing, he ventured one trip more, which proved so unfor- 
tunate that he lost his own life, as on this occasion too many 
rushed upon him at once, some catching hold of the horse's 
tail, and others of the bridle, by which means the horse, wea- 
i-ied out and too heavy laden, turned heels over head, and all 
drowned together. 

This noble and heroic action of a superannuated old man 
shows that a great number of lives might probably have been 
saved, if a strong rope had been fastened by one end to the 
wreck, and by the other to the shore. When the storms and 
waves had subsided, the ship was found to lie at so small a 
distance from the land that one might almost have leaped 
from her upon the shore. 

On receiving intelligence of the above event, the East-In- 
dia Directors in Holland ordered one of their ships to be call- 
ed the Woltemad, and the story of his humanity to be paint- 
ed on the stern ; they farther enjoined the regency of the 
Cape to provide for his descendants. 

37 



434 POLAR ICE. 

Unfortunately,' in the southern hemisphere, all were not im 
pressed with the same sentiments of gratitude. The young* 
corporal Woltemad, who had been an unavailing witness of 
his father having sacrificed himself in the service of the com- 
pany and of mankind, wished in vain to be gratified with his 
father's place, humble as it was. Stung with the disappoint- 
inent, he left that ungrateful country and went to Batavia, 
where he died before the news of such a great and unexpect- 
ed recommendation could reach him. 



POLAR ICE. 



The ice which obstructs the navigation of the arctic seas 
consists of two different kinds; the one produced by the con- 
gelation of fresh, and the other by that of salt water. In those 
unhospitable tracts, the snow which annually falls on the isl- 
ands or continents, being again dissolved by the progress of 
the summer's heat, pours forth numerous rills and limpid 
streams, which are collected along the indented shores, and in 
the deep bays enclosed by precipitous rocks. There, this clear 
and gelid water soon freezes, and every successive year sup- 
plies an additional investing crust, till, after the lapse perhaps 
of several centuries, the icy mass rises at last to the size and 
aspect of a mountain commensurate with the elevation of the 
adjoining cliffs. The melting of the snovv', which is after- 
ward deposited on such enormous blocks, likewise contributes 
to their growth; and, by filling up the accidental holes or 
crevices, it renders the whole structure compact and uniform. 
Meanwhile, the principle of destruction has already begun iis 
operations. The ceaseless agitation of the sea gradually 
wears and undermines the base of the icy mountain, till at 
length, by the action of its own accumulated weight, when it 
has perhaps attained an altitude of a thousand, or even two 
thousand feet, it is torn from its frozen chains, and precipita- 
ted, with tremendous plunge, into the abyss below. This 
mighty launch now floats like a lofty island on the ocean ; 
till, driven southward by winds and currents, it insensibly 
wastes and dissolves away in the wide Atlantic. 

Such is conceived to be the real origin of the icy moun- 
tains or icebergs, entirely similar in their formation to the g/a- 
ciers which occur on the flanks of the Alps and the Pyrenees. 



POLAR ICE. 435 

They consist of a clear, compact, and solid ice, which has 
the fine green tint, verging to blue, which ice or water, when 
very pure and of a sufficient depth, always assumes. From 
the cavities of these icebergs the crews of the northern wha- 
lers are accustomed, by means of a hose, or flexible tube of 
canvass, to fill their casks easily with the finest and softest 
water. Of the same species of ice, the fragments which are 
picked up as they float on the surface of the ocean yield the 
adventurous navin-atoi the most refreshins: beveraa^e. 

It was long disputed among the learned, whether the waters 
of the ocean are capable of being congealed; and many fri- 
volous and absurd arguments, of course, were advanced to 
prove the impossibility of the fact. But the question is now 
completely resolved ; and the freezing of sea-water is esta- 
blished both by observation and experiment. The product, 
however, is an imperfect sort of ice, easily distinguishable 
from the result of a regular crystalization ; it is porous, in- 
compact, and imperfectly diaphanous. It consists of spicular 
shoots, or thin flakes, which detain within their interstices the 
strongest brine ; and its granular spongy texture has, in fact, 
the appearance of congealed syrup, or what the confectioners 
call water-ice. This saline ice can, therefore, never yield 
pure water ; yet if the strong brine imprisoned in it be first 
suffered to drain off slowly, the loose mass that remains will 
melt into a brackish liquid, which in some cases may be 
deemed potable. 

To congeal sea-water of the ordinary saltness, or contain- 
ing nearly the thirtieth part of its weight of saline matter, it 
requires not an extreme cold ; this process takes effect about 
the 27th degree of Fahrenheit's scale, or only five degrees 
below the freezing point of fresh water. Within the arctic 
circle, therefore, the surface of the ocean being never much 
warmer, is, in the decline of the summer, soon cooled do^vn 
to the limit at which congelation commences. About the end 
of July, or the beginning of August, a sheet of ice, perhaps 
an inch thick, is formed in the space of a single night. The 
frost now maintains ascendancy, and shoots its increasing en- 
ergy in all directions, till it has covered the whole extent of 
those seas with a solid vault to the depth of several feet. But, 
on the return of spring, the penetrating rays of the sun gra- 
dually melt or soften that icy floor, and render its substance 
friable and easily disrupted. The first strong wind, creating 
a swell in the ocean, then breaks up the vast continent into 
large fields, which are afterward shivered into fragments by 



436 POLAR ICE. 

their mutual collision. This generally happens early in the 
month of June ; and a few weeks are commonly sufficient to 
disperse and dissolve the floating ice. The sea is at last 
open, for a short and dubious interval, to the pursuits of the 
adventurous mariner. 

While icebergs are thus the slow growth of ages, the fields 
or shoals of saline ice are annually formed and destroyed. 
The ice generated from melted snow is hard, pellucid, and 
often swells to enormous height and dimensions. But the 
concretion of salt water wants solidity, clearness, and strength, 
and never rises to any considerable thickness. It seldom 
floats during more than part of the year ; though, in some 
cold season, the scattered fragments may be surprised by the 
early frost, and preserved till the following summer. 

The whale fishers enumerate several varieties of the salt- 
water ice. A very wide expanse of it they call a field, and 
one of smaller dimensions ^floe. When a field is dissevered 
by a subaqueous or grown swell, it breaks into numerous 
pieces, seldom exceeding forty or fifty yards in diameter, which, 
taken collectively, are termed a pack. This pack again, 
when of a broad shape, is called a patch ; and when much 
elongated, a stream. The packs of ice are crowded and heap- 
ed together by violent winds ; but they again separate and 
spread asunder in calm weather. If a ship can sail freely 
through the floating pieces of ice, it is called drift-ice ; and 
the ice itself is said to loose or open. When, from the effect 
of abrasion, the larger blocks of ice are crumbled into minute 
fragments, this collection is called hrash-ice. A portion of ice 
rising above the common level is termed a hummock, being 
produced by the squeezing of one piece over another. These 
hummocks or protuberances break the uniform surface of the 
ice, and give it a most diversified and fantastic appearance. 
They are numerous in the heavy packs, and along the edges 
of ice-fields, reaching to the height of thirty feet. The term 
sludge is applied by the sailors to the soft and incoherent crys- 
tals which the frost forms when it first attacks the ruffled sur- 
face of the ocean. As these increase, they have some eflfect, 
like oil, to still the secondary waves ; but they are prevented 
from coalescing into a continuous sheet, by the agitation 
which still prevails ; and they form small discs, rounded by 
continual attrition, and scarcely three inches in diameter, call- 
ed pan-cakes. Sometimes these again unite into circular pie- 
ces perhaps a foot thick and many yards in circumference. 

The fields and other collections of floating ice are often 



POLAR ICE. 437 

discovered at a great distance, by that singular appearance on 
the verge of the horizon which the Dutch seamen have termed 
ice-blink. It is a stratum of lucid whiteness, occasioned evi- 
dently by the glare of light reflected obliquely from the sur- 
face of the ice against the opposite atmosphere. This shining 
streak, which looks always brightest in clear weather, indi- 
cates to the experienced navigator, twenty or thirty miles be- 
yond the limits of direct vision, not only the extent and figure, 
but even the quality of the ice. The blink from packs of ice 
appears of a pure white, while that which is occasioned by 
snow-fields has some tinge of yellow. 

The mountains of hard and perfect ice are the gradual pro- 
duction, perhaps, of many centuries. Along the western coast 
of Greenland, prolonged into Davis's Strait, they form an im- 
mense rampart, which presents to the mariner a sublime spec- 
tacle, resembling, at a distance, whole groups of churches, 
mantling castles, or fleets under full sail. Every year, but 
especially in hot seasons, they are partially detached from 
their seats and whelmed into the deep sea. In Davis's Strait 
those icebergs appear the most frequent ; and about Disco 
Bay, where the soundings exceed 300 fathoms, masses of 
such enormous dimensions are met with that the Dutch sea- 
men compare them to cities, and often bestow on them the 
familiar names of Amsterdam and Flaerlem. They are car- 
ried toward the Atlantic by the current which generally flows 
from the north-east, and after they reach the warmer water 
of the lower latitudes they readily dissolve, and finally disap- 
pear, probably in the space of a few months. 

The blocks of fresh-water ice appear black as they float ; 
but show a fine emerald or beryl hue when brought up on the 
deck. Though perfectly transparent like crystal, they some- 
times enclose threads or streamlets of air-bubbles, extricated 
in the act of congelation. This pure ice, being only a fif- 
teenth part lighter than fresh water, must consequently project 
about one-tenth as it swims on the sea. An iceberg of 2000 
feet in height would therefore, after it floated, still rise 200 
above the surface of the water. Such, perhaps, may be con- 
sidered as nearly the extreme dimensions. Those mountains 
of ice may even acquire more elevation at a distance from 
land, both from the snow which falls on them, and from the 
copious vapors which precipitate and congeal on their sur- 
face. But in general they are carried forward by the cur- 
rent which sets from the north-east into the Atlantic, where, 
bathed in w^armer fluid, they rapidly waste and dissolve. It 

37* 



438 POLAR ICE. 

may be shown by experiment, that if the water in which they 
float had only the temperature of 42 deg. the mass of ice 
would lose the thickness of an inch every hour, or two feet in 
a day. Supposing the surface of the sea to be at 52 deg. the 
daily diminution of thickness would be doubled, and would 
therefore amount to four feet. An iceberg having 600 feet of 
total elevation, would hence, on this probable estimate, require 
150 days for its dissolution. But the melting of the ice would 
be greatly accelerated if the mass were impelled through the 
water by the action of winds. A velocity of only a mile in an 
hour would triple the ordinary effect. Hence, though large 
bodies of ice are often found near the banks of Newfoundland, 
they seldom advance farther, or pass beyond the 48th degree 
of latitude. Within the arctic regions those stupendous blocks 
remain, by their mere inertia, so fixed on the water as com- 
monly to serve for the mooring of vessels employed in the 
whale-fishery. In some cases, however, it is a necessary pre- 
caution to lengthen the cables and ride at some distance from 
the frozen cliffs ; because the fragments of ice, which the sea- 
men term calves, are frequently detached from the under part 
of the mass, and, darting upward, acquire such a velocity in 
their ascent that they would infallibly strike holes into the 
ship's bottom. 

The ice produced from salt water is whitish, porous, and 
almost opaque. It is so dense, from the quantity of strong 
brine enclosed in its substance, that, when floating in the sea, 
it projects only one-fiftieth part above the surface. The po- 
rous saline ice has a variable thickness, yet seldom exceeding 
six feet. But this same ice which, during the greater part of 
the year, covers. the arctic seas, is annually formed and de- 
stroyed ; a small portion of it only, and at certain seasons, es- 
caping the general wreck. The thaw commonly lasts about 
three months ; and during that time the heat of the solar rays, 
which, though oblique, yet act with unceasing energy, whe- 
ther applied directly or through the intervention of the air or 
the water, is sufficient for the dissolution of all the ice pro- 
duced in the course of the autumn, the winter and the spring. 
It may be proved, by experiment, that under the pole itself, 
the power of the sun at the solstice could, in the space of a 
week, melt a stratum of five inches of ice. We may hence 
fairly compute the annual effect to be sufficient for thawing 
to the depth of forty inches. It should likewise be observed 
that, owing to the prevailing haziness of the atmosphere in the 
northern latitudes, those singular cold emanations which al- 



THE MAELSTROM. 439 

island Ver, and betwixt these two runs that large and dreadful 
ways dart from an azure sky, and in the more temperate cli- 
mates diminish the calorific action of the sun often by one- 
fifth part, can scarcely exist. On this account, perhaps the 
estimate of the annual destruction of polar ice may be swelled 
to a thickness of four feet. 



THE MAELSTROM ^'^ ^^ ' 

The Maelstrom, a very dangerous whirlpool on the coast 
of Norway, in the 68th degree of latitude, in the province of 
Nordland, and the district of Lofoden, and near the island of 
Moskoe, from whence it also takes the name of Moskoe-strom., 
Its violence and roarings exceed that of a cataract, being 
heard to a great distance, and without any intermission ex- 
cept a quarter every sixth hour, that is, at the turn of high 
and low water, when its impetuosity seems at a stand, which 
short interval is the only time the fisherman can venture in ; 
but this motion soon returns, and however calm the sea may 
be, gradually increases with such a draught and vortex as ab- 
sorb whatever comes within their sphere of action, and keep 
under water for some hours, when the fragments, shivered 
by the rocks, appear again. This circumstance, among others, 
makes strongly against Kircher and others, who imagine 
that there is here an abyss penetrating the globe, and issuing 
in some very remote parts, which Kircher is so particular as 
to assign, for he names the gulf of Bothinia. But after the 
most exact researches which the circumstances will admit, 
this is but a conjecture without foundation : for this and three 
other vortices among the Ferroe islands, but smaller, have no 
other cause than the collision of waves, rising and falling at 
the flux and reflux, against a ridge of rocks and shelves 
which confine the water so that it precipitates itself like a 
cataract ; and thus the higher the flood rises the deeper must 
the fall be ; and the natural result of this is a whirlpool or 
vortex, the prodigious suction whereof is sufficiently known 
by lesser experiments. But what has been thus absorbed re- 
mains no longer at the bottom than the ebb lasts ; for the suc- 
tion then ceases, and the flood removes all attractions, and 
permits whatever had been sunk to make its appearance 
again. Of the situation of this amazing Moskoe-strom we 
have the following account from M. Jonas Ramus : " The 
mountain of Helseggen, in Lofoden, lies a league from the 



440 THE MAELSTROM. 

Stream called Moskoe-strom, from the island Moskoe, which is 
in the middle of it, together with several circumjacent isles, 
as Amhaaren, half a quarter of a league northward, Iflesen, 
Hocholm, Kieldholm, Suarven, and Buckholm. Moskoe lies 
about half a quarter of a mile south of the island of Ver, and 
betwixt them these small islands, Otterholm, Flimen, Sand- 
flesen, Stockholm. Betwixt Losoden and Moskoe the depth 
of the water is between thirty-six and forty fathoms ; but on 
the other side, toward Ver, the depth decreases, so as not to 
afford a convenient passage for a vessel without the risk of 
splitting on the rocks, which happens even in the calmest 
weather ; when it is flood the stream runs up the country be- 
tween Losoden and Moskoe with a boisterous rapidity : but the 
roar of its impetuous ebb to the sea is scarce equalled by the 
loudest and most dreadful cataracts : the noise being heard seve- 
ral leagues off, and the vortices or pits are of such an extent and 
depth that if a ship comes within its attraction it is inevitably ab- 
sorbed and carried down to the bottom, and there beat to pieces 
against the rocks ; and when the water relaxes, the fragments 
thereof are thrown up again. But these intervals of tranquillity 
are only at the turn of the ebb and flood, and calm weather : 
and last but a quarter of an hour, its violence gradually return- 
ing. When the stream is most boisterous, and its fury height- 
ened by a storm, it is dangerous to oome within a Norway 
mile of it ; boats, ships, and ^^achts having been carried away 
by not guarding against it before they were within its reach. 
It likewise happens frequently that whales come too near the 
stream and are overpowered by its violence ; and then it is im- 
possible to describe their bowlings and bellowings in their 
fruitless struggles to disengage themselves. A bear once at- 
tempting to swim from Losoden to Moskoe, with a design, of 
preying upon the sheep at pasture in the island, afforded the 
like spectacle to the people ; the stream caught him and bore 
him down, whilst he roared terribly, so as to be heard on 
shore. Large stocks of firs and pine trees, after being absorb- 
ed by the current, rise again, broken and torn to such a degree 
as if bristles grew on them. This plainly shows the bottom 
to consist of craggy rocks, among which they are whirled to 
and fro. This stream is regulated by the flux and reflux of 
the sea ; it being constantly high and low water every six 
hours. In the year 1645, early in the morning of Sexagesima 
Sunday, it raged with such noise and impetuosity that on the 
island of Moskoe the very stones of the houses fell to the 
ground." 



THE MAELSTROM. 441 

An American captain gives the following description of 
this celebrated phenomenon. " I had occasion some years 
since to navigate a ship from the North Cape to Drontheim, 
nearly all the way between the islands or rocks and the main. 
On inquiring of my Norwegian pilot about the practicability 
of running near the whirpool, he told me that with a good 
breeze it could be approached near enough for examination 
without danger, and I at once determined to satisfy myself 
We began to near it about 10 A. M. in the month of Septem- 
ber, with a fine leading wind northwest. Two good seamen 
were placed at the helm, the mate on the quarter-deck, all 
hands at their station for working ship, and the pilot standing 
on the bowsprit between the night-heads. I went on the main- 
topsail yard with a good glass. I had been seated but a few 
moments, when my ship entered the dish of the whirlpool. 
The velocity of the water altered her course three points to- 
ward the centre, although she was going three knots through 
the water. This alarmed me extremely for a moment. I 
thought destruction was inevitable. She, however, answered 
her helm sweetly, and we ran along the edge, the waters foam- 
ing round us in every form, while she was dancing gayly 
over them. The sensations I experienced are difficult to des- 
cribe. Imagine to yourselves an immense circle running 
round, of a diameter of one and a half miles, the velocity in- 
creasing as it approximated toward the centre, and gradually 
changing its dark blue color to white — foaming, tumbling, 
rushing to its vortex, very much concave, as much so as the 
water in a tunnel when half run out ; the noise too, hissing, 
roaring, dashing, all pressing on the mind at once, presented 
the most awful, grand, and solemn sight I ever experienced. 
We were near it about 18 minutes, and in sight of it two 
hours. It is evidently a subterranean passage. From its 
magnitude, I should not doubt that instant destruction would 
be the fate of a dozen of our largest ships, were they dra\\ii 
in at the same moment. The pilot says that several vessels 
have been sucked down, and that whales have also been de- 
stroyed. 



442 CAPTAIN Ross's ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 

CAPTAIN ROSS'S NARRATIVE OF HIS LATE 

ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 

The following letters addressed by the gallant navigator to the 
Admiralty, will 'put the reader in possession of all the Ad- 
ventures and Discoveries of this memorable expedition. 

O71 board the Isabella, of Hull, ) 
Baffin's Bay, Sept. 1833. \ 

Sir, — Knowing how deeply my Lords Commissioners of 
the Admiralty are interested in the advancement of nautical 
knowledge, and particularly in the improvement of geogra- 
phy, I have to acquaint you, for the information of their 
lordships, that the expedition, the main object of which is to 
solve, if possible, the question of a north-west passage from the 
Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, particularly by Prince Regent's 
Inlet, and which sailed from England in May, 1827, notwith- 
standing the loss of the foremast and other untoward circum- 
stances, which obliged the vessel to refit in Greenland, reach- 
ed the beach on Avhich his Majesty's late ship Fury's stores 
were landed on the 13th of August. 

We found the boats, provisions, &c. in excellent condition, 
but no vestige of the wreck. After completing in fuel and 
other necessaries, we sailed on the 14th, and on the following 
morning rounded Cape Garry, where our new discoveries 
commenced, and keeping the western shore close on board, 
ran down the coast in a S. W. and W. course, in from 10 to 
20 fathoms, until we had passed the latitude of 72 north in 
longitude 94 west ; here we found a considerable inlet leading 
to the westward, the examination of which occupied two 
days ; at this place we were first seriously obstructed by ice, 
which was now seen to extend from the south cape of the in- 
let, in a solid mass, round by S. and E. to E. N. E. ; owing to 
this circumstance, the shallowness of the water, the rapidity 
of the tides, the tempestuous weather, the irregularity of the 
coast, and the numerous inlets and rocks for which it is re- 
markable, our progress was no less dangerous than tedious, 
yet we succeeded in penetrating below the latitude of 70 
north in longitude 92 west, where the land, after having car- 
ried us as far east as 90, took a decided westerly direction, 
while land at the distance of 40 miles to southward was seen 
extending east and west. At this extreme point our progress 
was arrested on the 1st of October by an impenetrable barri- 



CAPTAIN Ross's ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 443 

er of ice. We, however, found an excellent wintering port, 
which we named Felix Harbor. - 

Early in January, 1830, we had the good fortune to estab 
lish a friendly intercourse Avith a most interesting consocia- 
tion of natives, who, being insulated by nature, had never be- 
fore communicated with strangers ; from them we gradually 
obtained the important information that we had already seen 
the continent of America : that about 40 miles to the S. W. 
there were two great seas, one to the west, w^hich was divided 
from that to the east by a narrow strait or neck of land. The 
verification of this intelligence either way, on which our fu- 
ture operations so materially depended, devolved on Com- 
mander Ross, who volunteered his sendee early in April, and 
accompanied by one of the mates, and guided by two of the 
natives, proceeded to the spot, and found that the north land 
was connected to the south by two ridges of high land, 15 
miles in breadth, but, taking into account a chain of fresh wa- 
ter lakes which occupied the valleys between the dry land 
which actually separates the two oceans, is only five miles. 
This extraordinary isthmus was subsequently visited by my- 
self, when Commander Ross proceeded minutely to survey 
the sea-coast to the southward of the isthmus leading to the 
westward, which he succeeded in tracing to the 99th degree, 
or to 150 miles of Cape Turnagain of Franklin, to which 
point the land, after leading him into the 70th degree of north 
latitude, trended directly ; during the same journey he also 
surveyed 30 miles of the adjacent coast, or that to the north 
of the isthmus, which, by also taking a westerly direction, 
forming the termination of the western sea into a gulf The 
rest of this season was employed in tracing the sea-coast south 
of the isthmus leading to the eastward, which was done so as to 
leave no doubt that it joined, as the natives had previously in- 
formed us, to Ockullee, and the land forming Repulse Bay. 
It was also determined that there was no passage to the west- 
ward for 30 miles to the northward of our position. 

This summer, like that of 1818, was beautifully fine, but 
extremely unfavorable for navigation, and our object being 
now to try a more northern latitude, Ave waited with anxiety 
for the disruption of the ice, but in vain, and our utmost en- 
deavors did not succeed in retracing our steps more than four 
miles, and it was not until the middle of November that we 
succeedv^d in cutting the vessel into a place of security, 
which we named " Sheriff's Harbor." I may here mention 
that we named the newly discovered continent to the south- 



444 CAPTAIN Ross's ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 

ward, " Boothia," as also the isthmus, the peninsula to the 
north and the eastern sea, after my worthy friend Felix 
Booth, Esq. the truly patriotic citizen of London, who, in the 
most disinterested manner, enabled me to equip this expedition 
in a superior style. 

The last winter was in temperature nearly equal to the 
means of what had been experienced on the four preceding 
voyages, but the winters of 1830 and 1831 set in with a de- 
gree of violence hitherto beyond record — the thermometer 
sunk to 92 degrees below the freezing point, and the average 
of the year was 10 degrees below the preceding ; but not- 
withstanding the severity of the summer, we traveled across 
the country to the west sea by a chain of lakes, 30 miles 
north of the isthmus, when Commander Ross succeeded in 
surveying 50 miles more of the coast leading to the north- 
west, and by tracing the shore to the northward of our por- 
tion, it was also fully proved that there could be no passage 
below the 71st degree. 

This autumn we succeeded in getting the vessel only 14 
miles to the northward ; as we had not doubled the Eastern 
Cape, all hope of saving the ship was at an end, and put quite 
beyond possibility by another very severe winter ; and having 
only provisions to last us to the 1st June, 1833, dispositions 
were accordingly made to leave the ship in present port, 
which (after her) was named Victory Harbor. Provisions 
and fuel being carried forward in the spring, we left the ship 
on the 28th May, 1832, for Fury Beach, being the only 
chance left of saving our lives ; owing to the very rugged 
nature of the ice we were obliged to keep either upon or 
close to the land, making the circuit of every bay, thus in- 
creasing our distance 200 miles by nearly one half; and it 
was not until the 1st of July that we reached the beach, com- 
pletely exhausted with hunger and fatigue. 

A hut was speedily constructed, and the boats, three of 
which had been washed off the beach, but providentially driv- 
en on shore again, were repaired during this month ; and the 
unusual heavy appearance of the ice afforded us no cheering 
prospect until the 1st of August, when in three boats we 
reached the ill-fated spot where the Fury was first driven on 
shore, and it was not until the first of September we reached 
Leopold South Island, now established to be the N. E. point 
of America, in latitude 73, 56, and longitude 90 west. From 
the summit of the lofty mountain on the promontory we could 
see Prince Regent's Inlet, Barrow's Strait, and Lancaster 




WRECK OF THE FULTON, 

A steam frigate, at the Navy Yard, at Brooklyn, N. Y., after the explo- 
sion of June 4th, 1829.— p. 464. 




CAPTURE OF THE GUERRIERE. 

The United States frigate Constitution captured the British frigate 
Guerriere, Aug. 19, 1812.— p. 479. 



CAPTAIN Ross's ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 445 

Sound, which presented one impenetrable mass of ice, just as 
I had seen it in 1818. Here we remained in a state of anxiety 
and suspense which may be easier imagined than described. 
Al] our attempts to push through were vain ; at length, being 
forced by want of provisions and the approach of a very se- 
vere winter to return to Fury Beach, where alone there re- 
mained wherew^ith to sustain life, there we arrived on the 7th 
of October, after a most fatiguing and laborious march, hav- 
ing been obliged to leave our boats at Batty Bay. 

Our habitation, w^hich consisted of a frame of spars, 32 
feet by 16, covered with canvass, was, during the month of 
November, enclosed, and the roof covered with snow from 4 
to 7 feet thick, which being saturated with water when the 
temperature was 15 degrees below zero, immediately took the 
consistency of ice, and thus we actually became the inhabitants 
of an iceberg during one of the most severe winters hitherto 
recorded ; our sufferings, aggravated by want of bedding, 
clothing, and animal food, need not be dwelt upon. Mr. C. 
Thomas, the carpenter, was the only man who perished at 
this beach, but three others, beside one who had lost his foot, 
were reduced to the last stage of debility, and only twelve out 
of our number w^ere able to carry provisions, in seven jour- 
neys, of 62 miles each, to Batty Bay. 

We left Fury Beach on the 8th of July, carrying wdth us 
three sick men, who w^ere unable to w^alk, and in six days 
we reached the boats, where the sick daily recovered. Al- 
though the spring was mild, it was not until the 15th of Au- 
gust that we had any cheering prospect. A gale from the 
westward having suddenly opened a lake of water along the 
shore, in two days we reached our former position, and from 
the mountain w^e had the satisfaction of seeing clear water 
across Prince Regent's Inlet, Avhich we crossed on the 17th, 
and took shelter from a storm twelve miles to the eastward of 
Cape York. The next day, when the gale abated, we crossed 
Admiralty Inlet, and were detained six days on the coast by 
a strong N. E. vAnd. On the 25th we crossed the Navy 
Board Inlet, and on the following morning, to our inexpressi- 
ble joy, we descried a ship in the offing, becalmed, which 
proved to be the Isabella, of Hull, the same ship which I com- 
manded in 1818. At noon we reached her, when her enter- 
prizing commander, who had in vain searched for us in Prince 
Regent's Inlet, after giving us three cheers, received us with 
every demonstration of kindness and hospitality which hu- 
raanity could dictate. I ought to mention also that Mr. Hum- 

38 



446 CAPTAIN ROSs's ARCTIC EXPEDITIOIf. 

phreys, by landing me at Possession Bay, and subsequently on 
the west coast of Baffin's Bay, afforded me an excellent op- 
portunity of concluding my surveys and of verifying my for- 
mer chart of that coast. 

I now have the pleasing duty of calling the attention of 
their lordships to the merit of Commander Ross, who was se- 
cond in the direction of this expedition. The labors of this 
officer, who had the departments of astronomy, natural his- 
tory and surveying, will speak for themselves in language be- 
yond the ability of my pen ; but they will be duly apprecia- 
ted by their lordships, and the learned bodies of which he is 
a member, and who are already well acquainted with his ac- 
quirements. 

My steady and faithful friend, Mr. William Thom, of the 
royal navy, who was formerly with me in the Isabella, beside 
his duty as third in command, took charge of the m.eteorolo- 
gical journal, the distribution and economy of provisions, and 
to his judicious plans and suggestions must be attributed the 
uncommon degree of health which our crew enjoyed ; and 
as two out of the three who died in the four years and a half 
were cut off early in the voyage by diseases not peculiar to 
the climate, only one man can be said to have perished. Mr. 
M'Diarmid, the surgeon, who had been several voyages to 
these regions, did justice to the high recommendation I re- 
ceived of him ; he was useful in every amputation and opera- 
tion which he performed, and wonderfully so in his treatment 
of the sick ; and I have no hesitation in adding that he would 
be an ornament to his Majesty's service. 

Commander Ross, Mr. Thom, and myself, have indeed 
been serving without pay ; but, in common with the creAv, 
have lost our all, which Tregret the more, because it puts it 
totally out of my power adequately to remunerate my fellow- 
sufferers, whose case I cannot but recommend for their lord- 
ship's considerations. We have, however, the consolation that 
the results of this expedition have been conclusive, and to 
science highly important, and may be briefly comprehended 
in the following words. The discovery of the Gulf of Boo- 
thia, the continent and isthmus of Boothia Felix, and a vast 
number of islands, rivers, and lakes ; the undeniable estab- 
lishment that the north-east point of America extends to the 
74th degree of north latitude; valuable observations of every 
kind, but particularly on the magnet ; and to crown all, have 
the honor of placing the illustrious name of our most gra- 
cious Sovereign, William IV. on the true position of the mag- 
netic pole. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE ALBION. 447 

1 cannot conclude this letter, sir, without acknowledging 
the important advantages we obtained from the valuable pub- 
lications of Sir Edward Parry and Sir John Franklin, and the 
communications kindly made to us by those distinguished of- 
ficers before our departure from England. But the glory of 
this enterprise is entirely due to Him whose divine favor has 
been most especially manifested toward us, who guided and 
directed all our steps ; who mercifully provided, in w^hat we 
had deemed a calamity, his effectual means of our preserva- 
tion ; and who, even after the devices and inventions of man 
had utterly failed, crowned our humble endeavors with com- 
plete success. I am, &c. 

JOHN ROSS, Captain R. N. 
To Captain the Hon. George Elliot, 6fc, 
Secretary Admiralty. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE ALBION PACKET. 

Few instances have occurred of a shipwreck more distress- 
ing in its circumstances, and more calamitous in its destruc- 
tion of valuable lives and property, than that of the Albion. 
It will long be remembered, even in history, from the melan- 
choly fate of two distinguished men among its passengers, 
Lefebvre-Desnouettes, one of Napoleon's generals, and Pro- 
fessor Fisher, of Yale College, who, though young in age, 
had already accc«mplished much in science, and gave large 
promise of future eminence. The following statements, pub- 
lished at the time in the Liverpool papers, will furnish the 
reader a full account of the sad event. 

This fine ship sailed from New- York on the 1st of April, 
1822, with a crew of 24 men and about 28 passengers. On 
the 22d she was entirely lost on the coast of Ireland, ofFGar- 
retstown, near the old Point of Kinsale. Only two of the 
passengers and seven of the crew were saved. All the par- 
ticulars of this melancholy shipwreck which we have receiv- 
ed in town up to the hour that we are writing, (April 27,) 
are contained in two letters published in the Mercury yester- 
day, and which we give beneath; the one from Jacob Mark,^ 
U. S. Consul at Kinsale, to Messrs. Cropper, Benson, & Co, 
Liverpool, the other from an eye-witness of the scene, a Mr. 
Purcell, agent of the gentleman to whom this is addressed 



448 



SHIPWRECK OF THE ALBION. 



and which has been forwarded here by the gentleman, for the 
information of those interested. 

Kinsale, Aih Month, 22, 1822. 

On my arrival at tnis place early this morning, I was in- 
formed of the melancholy fate of the ship Albion, Captain 
Williams, one of the line of packet ships from New- York to 
your port ; she was cast away before daylight this morning, 
to the westward of the Old Head, near a place called Garrets- 
town, and I grieve to say, poor Captain Williams is no more. 
There were 22 passengers on board in the cabin, 15 men and 
7 women, all of whom have met a watery grave, with the ex- 
ception of a young man from Boston, I understand ; and he is 
so exhausted, he could not give the names of the others, or 
8tny particulars ; seven of the crew are saved, one of the 
mates and six men. I am informed that there was a conside- 
rable sum in specie on board ; part of the deck only floated 
ashore. Last night was very tempestuous ; and it seems the 
ship lost her masts about ten o'clock, carrying a press of sail 
off the land, wind S. S. E. which was the cause of the misfor- 
tune; it was about three o'clock this morning that she struck 
on a ledge of rocks, and went to pieces. I understand a few 
bales of cotton have come on shore. It is my intention to go 
to the spot and render any service in my power to the unfor- 
tunate survivors : and if any thing particular comes to my 
knowledge relative to this truly awful and melancholy catas- 
trophe, I shall drop you a line. In haste, your sincere friend, 

JACOB MARK. 

To Messrs. Cropper, Benson, Sf Co. ■ 

Garretstown, 22d April, 1832. 
Honored Sir, — At some time before 4 o'clock this morn- 
ing I was informed that a ship was cast on the rocks at the 
bottom of your dairy farms, to which place I immediately re- 
paired ; and at about the centre of the two farms found a ves- 
sel on the rocks, under a very high cliff. At this time, as it 
blew a dreadful gale, Avitha spring-tide and approaching high 
water, the sea ran mountains high ; however, I descended 
with some men as far down the cliff as the dashing of the 
waves would permit us to go with safety, and there we had the 
horrid spectacle of viewing five dead bodies stretched on the 
deck, and four other fellow creatures distractedly calling for 
assistance, which we were unable to afford them, as certain 
death would have attended the attempt to render them any. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE ALBION. 449 

Of those in this perilous situation, one was a female, whom, 
though it was impossible, from the roaring of the sea, to hear 
her, yet, from her gestures and the stretching out of her hands, 
w-e judged to be calling and imploring for our assistance. At 
this time the greater part of the vessel lay on the rock, and 
part of her stern, where this poor woman lay, projected over 
a narrow creek that divides this rock from another. Here 
the sea ran over her with the greatest fury, yet she kept a 
firm hold, which it much astonished me that she could do ; 
but we soon perceived that the vessel was broke across 
where she projected over the rock, and after many waves 
dashing against her, this part of the vessel rolled into the 
waves, and we had the heart-rending scene of seeing the wo- 
man perish. Three men lay toward the stern of the vessel, one 
of whom stuck to a mast which projected toward the cliffy 
to whom, after many attempts, we succeeded in throwing a 
rope, and brought him safe ashore. Another we also saved ; 
but the constant dashing of the waves put an end to the suf- 
ferings of the others. This vessel proves to be the Albion, of 
New- York, packet. Captain Williams, Avhich place she left 
on the 1st inst. for Liverpool, with a cargo of cotton, raw 
turpentifie, rice, «fec. and with about 28 passengers. Her 
crew consisted of 24, and of the whole there have been saved 
only nine, making the sufferers amount to 43. Out of the pas- 
sengers there have been saved two. The bodies of five men 
and two women have been picked up. After doing every 
thing possible for these poor creatures, I exerted myself with 
Mr. Gibbons in saving the private property of the poor sai- 
lors and passengers, and succeeded in saving some of their 
trunks. I have brought four of these poor creatures here. 
Mr. Gibbons has taken three, and two more remain at the 
dairy-men's houses ; from whence they were too weak to be 
removed. Captain \Villiams is among the sufferers. As I 
knew your feelings toward those thus situated, I have taken 
the liberty of preparing some thin boards to make coffins for 
these seven. She is now completely gone to pieces. She 
was, I think, as fine a vessel of her description as could be 
seen. My situation does not allow me to say more at present, 
as I was never more fatigued, and remain, 
Honored Sir, 
Your ever-grateful and obedient servant, 
(Signed) JOHN PURCELL. 

To Thomas Rochford, Esq. 

38* 



450 SHIPWRECK OF THE ALBION. ^ T 

Kinsale, 4th Month, 26, 1822. 

On my arrival here on the 22(i I wrote you a hasty letter, 
apprising you of the melancholy fate of the ship Albion. 1 
went over the fatal spot, and I cannot describe the scene that 
presented itself to my view, nor am I disposed to dwell on the 
heart-rending scene. I shall be as brief as possible. 

Henry Cammyer, the first mate, is saved, and six of the 
crew. The whole company on board, including passengers, 
amounted to fifty-six, of whom forty-five perished, and nine 
atte saved. The log-book being lost, the mate could not give 
me a list of the passengers ; but, from memory, he has given 
me the names of eighteen, which are annexed. As the bo- 
dies that were found lay on the shore, the mate pointed out 
to me their respective names, which Were put on paper and 
placed on each body, and I gave directions that the graves 
should be numbered, and a list made out, which I expected to 
get this day, by which it can easily be ascertained where each 
body lies in the grave-yard. A clergyman attended the me- 
lancholy procession. This may be some consolation to the 
afflicted relatives of the dead. Very little of the wreck re- 
mains, and the country people are carrying it off in ,^11 direc- 
tions, in small pieces. I have desired the remnant to be* put 
up at auction and sold. I inquired of the mate about the spe- 
cie ; there were two boxes for you, two for Professor Fisher, 
a passenger, beside a package of dollars belonging to the 
only cabin passenger saved, Mr. Everhart, of Pennsylvania, 
who is very ill in bed. The mate thought I had not the least 
chance of recovering a dollar. I however thought otherwise. 
I accordingly took aside a confidential man, John Purcell, 
who is in the employment, and enjoys the unlimited confi- 
dence of my worthy and respectable friend, Thomas Rochfort, 
Esq. of GarretstowTi, who owns all the land in the neighbor- 
hood. I told him to employ a few men, on whose honesty he 
could depend, and set them to work to examine the spot where 
I received the mate's report the money might be, and that I 
would give him a good commission (I think I said five per 
cent.) if he could prevent plunder, and save the property. 
Late .last night I received the inclosed by express, and am 
now on the point of returning to the wreck. The box was 
broken, and plunder attempted. 

Yours truly, JACOB MARK. 

Cropper, Benson, ^ Co. 

Garretstown, Thursday eve. April 25, 1822. 
Sir,— I Mve only time to inform you that we found, near 



SHIPWRECK OF THE ALBION. 451 

where the wreck of the Albion lay, this day, different gold 
coins in a small box, in all, by a rough calculation, amount- 
ing to upward of 3000Z. The coins being many of them fo- 
reign, and of different sizes, prevents me from being able to 
ascertain the exact sum, but it has all been brought up here 
safe, and counted in the presence of Mr. Pratt, the officer of 
Customs, Mr. Lemon, and myself. I hasten to acquaint you 
of this pleasing circumstance. I have the honor to be, sir, 
your most obedient and humble servant, 

JOHN PURCELL. 
To Jacob Mark, Esq. 

From the Cork Southern Reporter of Saturday. 

The Albion, whose loss at Garretstown Bay we first men- 
tioned in our paper of Tuesday, was one of the first class of 
ships between Liverpool and New- York, and was 500 tons 
burthen. We have since learned some further particulars, by 
which it appears that her loss was attended with circumstan- 
ces of a peculiarly afiiicting nature. She had lived out the 
tremendous gale of the entire day on Sunday, and Captain 
Williams consoled his passengers, at 8 o'clock in the evening, 
with the hope of being able to reach Liverpool on the day 
but one after, which cheering expectation induced most of the 
passengers, particularly the females, to retire to rest. In some 
short time, however, a violent squall came on, which in a mo- 
ment carried away the masts, and there being no possibility 
of disengaging them from the rigging, they so encumbered 
the hull that she became unmanageable, and drifted at the 
mercy of the waves, till the light-house at Old Head was dis- 
covered, the wreck still nearing in, when the captain told the 
sad news to the passengers that there was no longer any hope, 
and soon after she struck. From thenceforward all was dis- 
tress and confusion. The vessel soon went to pieces, and of 
the crew and passengers, only six of the former, and one of 
the latter, were saved. 

The mate is among the preserved, and that preservation 
was almostnniraculous. He was thrown on a cliff by a wave, 
and had succeeded in climbing to the top of it, when another 
took him off. He was thus thrown back again, and was 
more fortunate ; but his appearance bespeaks the sufferings 
he endured from the beating of his body against the rocks. 
He is dreadfully bruised. 

The number of passengers, we believe, is twenty-five. Of 
these, as we have already stated, one only was saved, a gen- 



452 SHIPWRECK OF THE ALBION. 

tleman of Boston, who traded with Liverpool. He had arriv- 
ed at New- York almost as the Albion was on the point of 
sailing, and had not time to get hills for a large sum of specie 
which he had. It was therefore shipped and lost. 

Several of the bodies have been washed ashore, and Jacob 
Mark, Esq. the American Consul at this port, having repair- 
ed to the scene where the wreck took place, immediately on 
learning the melancholy intelligence, has done every thing be- 
fitting his situation and a man of humanity, under these cir- 
cumstances. He has provided coffins for the bodies, and caus- 
ed them to be interred with their respective names affixed, 
having first had the mate to point them out, in order that if 
the families of them should wish hereafter to have the bodies 
removed, they may be enabled to do so. 

It appears from a comparison of the several accounts which 
have been published of the loss of the Albion, that, for the 
first twenty days after leaving New- York, the weather was 
moderate and favorable; and that about one o'clock on the 
afternoon of Sunday the 21st, the ship made the south of Ire- 
land. Soon after a gale commenced, which blew the remain- 
der of the day with great violence. About half past 8 o'clock 
in the evening the Albion shipped a heavy sea, which threw 
her on her beam ends, and took the mainmast by the deck, 
the head of the mizenmast, and fore topmast, and swept the 
decks clear of every thing, including boats, compasses, &c. 
and stove in all the hatches, state-rooms, and bulwarks in the 
cabin, which was nearly filled with water. At the same 
time, six of the crew, and one cabin passenger, Mr. Converse, 
of N. York, were swept overboard. The axes being lost, no 
means remained of clearing the wreck, and the ship was un- 
manageable. About three o'clock the ship struck on a reef 
of rocks about one hundred yards from the main land. This, 
as afterward appeared, was in Courtmacherry-Bay, about 
three miles west of the Old Head of Kinsale. In about half 
an hour the ship went to pieces; and all the cabin passengers, 
except Mr. W. Everhart, of Chester, Pennsylvania, were lost. 
It is understood that Prof Fisher, as well as some others, was 
considerably injured when the masts were carried away; 
and at the time the other passengers went on deck, after the 
captain had informed them of their imminent danger, he re- 
mained below in his berth. Whether he afterward came up, 
and what were the particular circumstances of his death, is 
unknown. 



453 



EXPLOSION OF THE STEAM-BOAT HELEN 
M'GREGOR, 

At Memphis, Tennessee, Feb. 24, 1830. 

The following interesting narrative was written by a gen- 
tleman, passenger on board the Helen M'Gregor. 

On the morning of the 24th of February the Helen M'Gre- 
gor stopped at Memphis, to deliver freight and land a num- 
ber of passengers who resided in that section of Tennessee. 
The time occupied in so doing could not have exceeded three 
quarters of an hour. When the boat landed I went ashore to 
see a gentleman with whom I had some business. I found 
him on the beach, and after a short conversation returned to 
the boat. I recollect looking at my watch as I passed the 
gangway. It was half past eight o'clock. A great number 
of persons were standing on what is called the boiler-deck, 
being that part of the upper deck situated immediately over 
the boilers. It was crowded to excess, and presented one dense 
mass of human bodies. In a few minutes we sat down to break- 
fast in the cabin. The table, although extending the whole 
length of the cabin, was completely filled, there being upward 
of sixty cabin passengers, among whom were several ladies 
and children. The number of passengers on board, deck and 
cabin united, was between four and five hundred. I had almost 
finished my breakfast when the pilot rung his bell for the en- 
gineer to put the machinery in motion. The boat having just 
shoved off, I was in the act of raising my cup to my lip, the 
tingling of the pilot bell yet on my ear, when I heard an ex- 
plosion resembling the discharge of a small piece of artillery — 
the report was perhaps louder than usual in such cases — for an 
exclamation was half uttered by me that the gun was well 
loaded, when the rushing sound of steam, and the rattling of 
glass in some of the cabin windows checked my speech and 
told too well what had occurred. I almost involuntarily bent 
my head and body down to the floor — a vague idea seemed to 
shoot across my mind that more than one boiler might burst, 
and that, by assuming this posture, the destroying matter would 
pass over without touching me. 

The general cry cf "a boiler has burst," resounded from 
one end of the table to the other ; and, as if by a simultaneous 
movement, all started on their feet. Then commenced a gen- 



454 

eral race to the ladies' cabin, which lay more toward the stern 
of the boat. All regard to order or deference to sex seemed 
to be lost in the struggle for which should be first and furthest 
removed from the dreaded boilers. The danger had already- 
passed away ! I remained standing by the chair on which I 
had been previously sitting. Only one person or two staid in 
the cabin with me. As yet not more than half a minute had 
elapsed since the explosion; but in that brief space how had 
the scene changed! In that "drop of time" what confusion, 
distress, and dismay ! An instant before, and all were in the 
quiet repose of security — another, and they were overwhelmed 
with alarm and consternation. It is but justice to say that in 
this scene of terror the ladies exhibited a degree of firmness 
worthy of all praise. No screaming, no fainting ; their fears, 
when uttered, were for their husbands and children, not for 
themselves. 

I advanced from my position to one of the cabin doors for 
the purpose of inquiring who were injured, when, just as I 
reached it, a man entered at the opposite one, both his hands 
covering his face, and exclaiming, " O God, O God ! I am 
lost ! I am ruined !" He immediately began to tear off his 
clothes. When stripped, he presented a most shocking and 
afflicting spectacle: his face was entirely black; his body 
without a particle of skin. He had been flayed alive. He 
gave me his name and place of abode — then sunk in a state 
of exhaustion and agony on the floor. I assisted in placing 
him on a mattress taken from one of the berths, and covered 
him with blankets. He complained of heat and cold as at 
once oppressing him. He bore his torments with a manly 
fortitude, yet a convulsive shriek would occasionally burst 
from him. His wife, his children, were his constant theme: 
it was hard to die without seeing them : " it was hard to go 
without bidding them one farewell !" Oil and cotton were ap- 
plied to his wounds : but he soon became insensible to earthly 
misery. Before I had done attending to him, the whole floor 
of the cabin was covered with unfortunate sufierers. Some 
bore up under the horrors of their situation with a degree ot 
resolution amounting to heroism. Others were wholly over- 
come by the sense of pain, the suddenness of the fatal disas- 
ter, and the near approach of death, which even to them was 
evident — whose pangs they already felt. Some implored us, 
as an act of humanity, to complete the work of destruction, 
and free them from present sufl^ering. One entreated the 
presence of a clergyman to pray for him, declaring he was 



EXPLOSION OF THE HELEN m'gREGOR. 455 

not fit to die. I inquired : none could be had. On every side 
were to be heard groans and mingled exclamations of grief 
and despair. 

To add to the confusion, persons were every moment run- 
ning about to learn the fate of their friends and relatives : fa- 
thers, sons, brothers : for, in this scene of unmixed calamity, 
it was impossible to say who were saved, or who had perish- 
ed. The countenances of many were so much disfigured as to 
be past recognition. My attention, after some time, was parti- 
cularly drawn toward a poor fellow who lay unnoticed on the 
floor, without uttering a single word of complaint. He was 
at a little distance removed from the rest. He was not much 
scalded, but one of his thighs was broken, and a principal ar- 
tery had been severed, from which the blood was gushing 
rapidly. He betrayed no displeasure at the apparent neglect 
with Avhich he was treated — he was perfectly calm. I spoke 
to him; he said " he was very weak ; he felt himself going — 
It would be soon over." A gentleman ran for one of the phy- 
sicians ; he came, and declared that, if expedition were used, 
he might be preserved by amputating the limb : but that, to 
efiect this, it would be necessary to remove him from the 
boat. Unfortunately the boat was not sufficiently near to run 
a plank ashore. We were obliged to wait until it could be 
close hauled. I stood by him calling for help; we placed him 
on a matress, and bore him to the guards ; there we were de- 
fined some time, from the cause I have mentioned. Never did 
any thing appear to me so slow as the movements of those 
engaged in hauling the boat. 

I knew, and he knew, that delay was death — that life was 
fast ebbing. I could not take my gaze from his face — there 
was all coolness and resignation. No word or gesture indi- 
cative of impatience escaped him. He perceived by my loud 
and, perhaps, angry tone of voice, how mu@h I was excited 
by what I thought the barbarous slowness of those around : 
he begged me not to take so much trouble ; that they were 
doing their best. At length we got him on shore — it was too 
late : he was too much exhausted, and died immediately after 
the amputation. 

So soon as I was relieved from attending on those in the 
cabin, I went to examine that part of the boat where the boil- 
er had burst. It was a complete wreck — a picture of destruc- 
tion. It bore ample testimony of the tremendous force of 
that power which the ingenuity of man has brought to his aid. 
The steam had given every thing a whitish hue — the boilers 



456 EXPLOSION OF THE HELEN m'gREGOR. 

were displaced — the deck had fallen down — the machinery 
was broken and disordered. Bricks, dirt, and rubbish were 
scattered about. Close by the bowsprit was a large rent 
through which, I was told, the boiler, after exploding, had 
passed out, carrying one or two men in its mouth. Several 
dead bodies were lying around ; their fate had been an en- 
viable one compared with that of others — they could scarcely 
have been conscious of a pang ere they had ceased to be. 
On the starboard wheel-house lay a human body, in which 
life was not yet extinct, though apparentl}^ there was no sen- 
sibility remaining. The body must have been thrown from 
the boiler-deck, a distance of thirty feet. The whole of the 
forehead had been blown away : the brains were still beating. 
Tufts of hair, shreds of clothing, and splotches of blood might 
be seen in every direction. A piece of skin was picked up by 
a gentleman on board, which appeared to have been peeled off 
by the force of steam ; it extended from the middle of the arm 
down to the tip of the fingers, the nails adhering to it. So 
dreadful had been the force that not a particle of the flesh ad- 
hered to it ; the most skillful operator could scarcely have ef- 
fected such a result. Several died from inhaling the steam or 
gas, whose skin was almost uninjured. 

The number of lives lost will, in all probability, never be 
distinctly known. Many were seen flung into the river, most 
of whom sunk to rise no more. Could the survivors have been 
kept together until the list of passengers was called, the pre- 
cise loss would have been ascertained ; that however, though 
it had been attempted, would, under the circumstances, have 
been impossible. 

Judging from the crowd which I saw on the boiler-deck 
immediately before the explosion, and the statement which T 
received as to the number of those who succeeded in swim- 
ming out after they were cast into the river, I am inclined to 
believe that between forty and fifty must have perished. 

The cabin passengers escaped, owing to the peculiar con- 
struction of the boat. Just behind the boilers were several 
large iron posts, supporting, I think, the boiler-deck : across 
each post was a large circular plate of iron of between one 
and two inches in thickness. One of those posts was placed 
exactly opposite the head of the boiler which burst, being the 
second one on the starboard side. Against this plate the head 
struck and penetrated to the depth of an inch, then broke and 
flew off at an angle, entering a cotton bale to the depth of a 
foot. The boiler head was in point blank range with the 




BATTLE OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 

On the 11th of Sept., 1814, Commodore Macdonough, captured the 
Bxitish fleet on Lake Champlain.— p. 491. 




DIGGING FOR KIDD's MONEY. 

Capt. Kidd is sugposed to have buried large sums of money. Many 
attempts hare been made to recover it.— p. 496 



EXPLOSION OF TIIE ^TNA. 457 

breakfast-table in the cabin, and had it not been obstructed by 
the iron post, must have made a clear sweep of those who were 
seated at the table. 

To render any satisfactory account of the cause which pro- 
duced the explosion can hardly be expected from one who 
possesses no scientific or practical knowledge on the subject, 
and who, previously thereto, ^vas paying no attention to the 
management of the boat. The Captain appeared to be very 
active and diligent in attending to his duty. He was on the 
boiler-deck when the explosion occurred ; was materially m- 
jured by that event, and must have been ignorant of the mis- 
management, if any there w^as. 

From the engineer alone could the true explanation be af- 
forded ; and, if indeed it was really attributable to negligence, 
it can scarcely be supposed he wall lay the blame on himself. 
If I might venture a suggestion in relation thereto, I would 
assign the following causes : — That the water in the starboard 
boilers had become low in consequence of that side of the 
boat resting upon the ground during our stay at Memphis ; 
that the fires were kept up some time before we shoved 
ofi'; that the head which burst had been cracked for a con- 
siderable time ; that the boiler was extremely heated, and 
the water, thrown in when the boat was again in motion, was 
at once converted into steam, and the flues not being suffi- 
ciently lar^e to carry it off as quickly as it was generated, 
nor the boiler head of a strength capable of resisting its action, 
the explosion was a natural result. 

I assume this proposition to be correct — that, in every case 
where a boiler bursts, it is fair to infer that it proceeded from 
neglect, until the contrary shall be proved. 



EXPLOSION OF THE STEAM-BOAT iETNA, IN 
NEW-YORK HARBOR, MAY 15, 1824. 

The following account was published on Monday the 17th. 
On Saturday evening, about 7 o'clock, as the steam-boat 
^tna, Captain Robinson, was on the way to this city, from 
Washington, N. J. with the passengers from Philadelphia by 
what is called the " Citizens' Line," and a number of way 
passengers, when in sight of, and about 4 1-2 miles from the 
city, in the neighborhood of Gibbet Island, the boiler gave way, 
and blew up with a tremendous and deadly explosion. The 

39 



458 EXPLOSION OF THE ^TNA. 

interior of the boat was rendered a complete wreck, the im- 
mensely heavy iron-work having been broken into fragments, 
and the heavy timbers and lighter work of the two after-cabins 
literally shivered to pieces. But this is of little consequence 
in comparison with the awful destruction which attended the 
melancholy event, and which has spread a cloud of gloom 
over the city, deeper, if possible, than was witnessed in the la- 
mented case of the Albion. 

The whole number of persons on board was 34, viz. six 
passengers by the Philadelphia coach, named on the way-bill, 
Pearce, Arnell, Braden, Heacock, Eckfelt, and Mrs. Strout : 
five from Amboy, Messrs. Davis, Morrison and Baker, and 
two others, names not known ; six taken on board at Elizabeth- 
town Point, names not known, among them one or two wo- 
men ; one woman and a girl taken on board at the Blazing 
Star Ferry, New-Jersey, and the officers and crew and ser- 
vants of the boat, consisting of fifteen. 

Killed in the cabin by the explosion, Mrs. Job Furman, 
Mrs. Abm. Merserole, her daughter, Caroline Furman, daugh- 
ter of the late Waters Furman, and a sister of Mrs. Furman, 
all of one family, who had been to Elizabethtown to aftend 
the funeral of a near relative. [Those were all interred 
from one house. Their remains were attended to the grave 
by thousands of sympathizing friends.l Miss Mary Bates, 
daughter of Captain Andrew Bates, living in Provost-street, 
was also killed. She was in charge of Miss Ann Dough- 
erty, a native of Auburn, New- York, and who, together with 
Mrs. Taylor, (wife of John Taylor, of New-Jersey,) were 
taken to the hospital, where they died in the most frightful 
agony before morning. The steward, Victor Grasse, a French- 
man, jumped overboard from the forward cabin window, 
and was drowned. Another person, name unknown, also 
jumped out of the forward cabin, and was drowned. Mr. 
Charles C. Hollingshead, of Princeton, New-Jersey, who Avas 
in the forward cabin, jumped overboard through a window, 
and was saved by seizing a bench that was thrown over, and 
afterward picked up by the ^Etna's boat. After the boat had 
been towed up, the body of a man was found among the ruins, 
whose name cannot be ascertained, but whose shirt is marked 
•' M. P." He had fine black broadcloth pantaloons, a new 
Marseilles vest, and a blue broadcloth coat, about half worni, 
with yellow gilt buttons. He had neither money nor papers 
about him, excepting a memorandum to call on Mr. Wiley 
the bookseller, in relation to some books, which, on a refer- 



EXPLOSION OF THE iETXA. 459 

ence by Mr. W. to some letters upon the subject, (for no 
names are given in the memorandum,) were to be sent to Mr. 
J. Black, No. 71 Walnut-street, Philadelphia. The face and 
back of the left hand of this man were burnt to a crisp ; but 
he was nowhere scalded, nor was his hair singed. His face 
was perfectly black, and probably his. nearest friend would 
not have been able to recognize his features. 

The following persons were sent to the hospital, viz. Thos. 
Braden, of Wilmington, Delaware, and Michael Eckfelt, of 
Philadelphia, both of whom, we learn, are likely to recover — 
and dangerously wounded, Joseph Stevens, a native of 
Ireland. Also, of the crew, dangerously wounded, John 
Winter, of Philadelphia, fireman ; John Gibbons, of Philadel- 
phia, fireman ; Ann Thomas, of Philadelphia ; Alexander 
Cromwell, of Jamaica, waiter. Margaret Cole, cook, wound- 
ed, not considered dangerous, was carried to a private house. 
One of these, we learn, is since dead, and there is little proba- 
bility that four others will recover. Young Mr. Morrison, 
mentioned above, but who had not yesterday been heard of, 
we have just learnt, is lying in Frankfort-street, very badly 
scalded. Mr. Eckfelt, when the coroner last visited him in 
the hospital, mentioned a lad from Philadelphia, who has not 
been heard from. A young lad, about 13 years of age, who 
was, at the time of the explosion, sleeping on the covering of 
the boiler, was thrown into the air, and fell into the vacuum 
caused by the removal of the machinery, and received no in- 
jury. Mr. Myers, mate of the J3tna, jumped overboard, and 
was uninjured. 

Mr. John Pearce, and Mr. Ryers, both of Philadelphia, es- 
caped without injury, being on deck and near the bow. Jo- 
nathan Case, of Schenectady; Benedict Arnold, merchant, 
of Amsterdam, N. York ; Mr. Heacock and lady, are also 
among those saved. A boatman lived at Bergen Point, whose 
was the first row-boat alongside the ^tna after the explo- 
sion, states that he picked up 4 hats, one of which contained 
a bill of lading of goods on board of Thomas H. Smith's 
ship, at Amboy, from Canton. He also picked up a paper, 
which was part of a contract for making part of a canal in 
Ohio. [One of these hats, it is ascertained, belonged to Mff 
Myers; the hat with bills of lading, we hear, belonged to Mr. 
Heacock. 1 

The steam-boat United States, Capt. Beecher, was on the 
way from New-Brunswick at the time, and after rendering all 
the assistance in her power, towed the ^tna to this city. 



460 EXPLOSION OF THE ^TNA. 

We yesterday viewed, in company with the Coroner, the 
dead and the dying — and such a heart-rending spectacle we 
never before witnessed. The scalds of the dead were deep, 
and notwithstanding their clothes, they extended over the 
whole body. But the survivors presented pictures of unut- 
terable suffering. If prepared for the great event, how well 
might they have envied those whom death had relieved from 
bodily anguish ! 

The name of the man killed on board the ^tna, and whose 
dress is described above, was Mordecai C. Peters, of Phila- 
delphia. 

The following letter, giving an account of the explosion of 
the ^tna, was written by an eye-witness of the dreadful scene, 
a passenger, to his friends in Philadelphia : — 

New-York, May 16. 

It is with pain I inform j^ou of an awful occurrence that 
took place at 7 o'clock last evening on board the steam-boat 
^tna, Captain Thomas Robinson, when about seven miles 
from, and in sight of this city, her boilers bursting with a 
noise like thunder, and throwing the pieces upon the quarter 
deck, where I had the minute before been standing. I had 
walked to the bows when the explosion took place; and 
thanks be to the Almighty that I am one of the few that esca- 
ped unhurt. O! the awfulness of the scene! My situation 
I can scarcely describe. It pleased the Almighty to give me 
a command of myself at this horrid moment, when every one 
on board thought it his last, and some in despair jumped over- 
board and were drowned. A man standing by me was jump- 
ing, when I told him he had better remain quiet, and if the 
boat should be buTned up, we could throw off the cover for 
the cables (a large round box at the bows) that we stood by, 
and might save ourselves in this way. He stopped, and a 
man crying in the water, we threw him a rope and drew him 
upon deck. He was one of the firemen who had been blown 
overboard. This served to compose him a little, or he would 
have jumped over the side of the boat. The smoke disap- 
pearing, the horrors of the sight increased, when we beheld 
the bodies of those who had been struck by pieces of the 
boiler, weltering in their blood on the deck. I now attempt- 
ed to make my way aft, and succeeded, after getting through 
the smoke and broken parts of the wreck, in assisting Captain 
Robinson and others to clear the companion-way, to get mto 
the ladies' cabin. The Captain went down and handed up 



CONFLAGRATION OF THE PHOENIX. 461 

five ladies whom I took from him, and placing them upon 
deck, they expired. One little girl, about the age of Mary, 
entreated me to throw water upon her, her agonies were so 
great. They were all of one family, and had been on board 
but a few minutes, being on their return from the funeral of a 
sister at Elizabethtown Point. In this situation we were dis- 
covered by two boats at the Quarantine Ground, which put 
olF to our assistance, and brought us up to the city ; and a 
steam-boat passing by, brought the wreck, with the dead and 
wounded on board, to the wharf. What rendered my situa- 
tion more singular was, that my baggage was blown up, but 
fell upon the wreck again. My trunk, previously to my being 
taken off, I found in the place from which the boilers had 
blown. Last night, at 12 o'clock, I went to search for my 
writing-desk. Two friends accompanied me, but they were 
not permitted to go on board, as the Coroner had just held an 
inquest, and had gone on shore to give his verdict. I therefore 
went on board alone, and getting a light, commenced searching 
for, and succeeded in getting the desk, &c. and discovering a 
hand under some of the rubbish, I called one of the watchmen, 
and moving the timber away, it led to the discovery of another 
corpse. 



CONFLAGRATION OF THE STEAM-BOAT 

PHOENIX, 

On Lake Champlain, September Bth^ 1819. 

The steam-boat left Burlington about 12 o'clock at night, 
and had proceeded as far as Providence Island, (about half 
way between Burlington and Plattsburgh,) when the alarm of 
fire was given, about one o'clock at night ; there being two 
small boats attached to the Phoenix, they were immediately 
filled with passengers ; but the wind blowing violently from 
the north-west, the passengers were not all enabled to embark, 
and some few of them were obliged to jump overboard. 

Captain Johnson Sherman, who has formerly commanded 
this boat, was unfortunately sick with a fever at Vergennes ; 
the boat was commanded by his son, Richard W. Sherman, a 
young gentleman of about 22 years of age ; but who, in the 
difficulties and distresses of this conflagration, displayed the 

39* 



462 CONFLAGRATION OF THE PHOENIX. 

coolness of riper years. Much credit is due to Mr. John How- 
ard, steward of the boat, for his coolness and honesty in the 
hour of difficuhy. I understand Captain Sherman and him- 
self saved themselves by articles thrown overboard after the 
boat had left. The wreck of the boat drifted into Colchester 
Reef. 

Another account of the Confiagration of the Steam-boat 
Phoenix. 

The following description of this terrific scene was written 
by one of the passengers. I awoke at the time of the alarm, 
but whether aroused by the cry of fire, the noise of feet 
trampling on deck, or by that restlessness common to persons 
who sleep in a strange place, with a mind filled with sorrow 
and anxiety, I am unable to tell. I thought I heard a faint 
cry of fire, and after a short interval it seemed to be renewed. 
But it came so weakly upon my ear, and seemed to be flung 
by so careless a voice, that I concluded it was an unmeaning 
sound uttered by some of the sailors in their sports on deck. 
Soon, however, a hasty footstep was heard passing through 
the cabin, but without a word being uttered. As I approach- 
ed the top of the cabin stairs, an uncommon brilliancy at once 
dispelled all doubts. Instantly the flames and sparks began 
to meet my eyes, and the thought struck me that no other way 
of escape was left but to plunge half naked through the blaze 
into the water. One or two more steps assured me that this 
dreadful alternative was not yet arrived ; I hastily stepped 
aft ; a lurid light illuminated every object beyond the splen- 
dor of a noon-day sun ; I fancied it was the torch of death, 
to point me and my fellow-travelers to the tomb. I saw no 
person on deck ; but on casting my eyes toward the boat, 
which was still hanging on the larboard quarter, 1 perceived 
that she was filled, and that her stern-sheets were occupied 
with ladies. I flew to the gangway and assisted in lowering 
the boat into the water. I then descended the steps, with an 
intention of entering the boat ; but perceiving that she was 
loaded deep, and that there was a strong breeze and a high 
sea, I desisted. The painter was soon cut, and the boat drop- 
ped astern. I ascended the steps with the design of submit- 
ting myself to the water upon a plank ; for I had great confi- 
dence in my skill in swimming, and I acted under an impres- 
sion that the shore was only a few rods, certainly not half a 
mile distant. Judge of what would have been my astonish- 



CONFLAGRATION OF THE PHOENIX. 463 

ment, and probably also my fate, had I done as I contempla- 
ted ; when the fact was, that the steam-boat at this period was 
in the broadest part of Lake Champlain, and at least three 
miles from any land. I had left the deck about two hours 
before, and this change had occurred in the meantime. I 
looked round upon the deck to find a suitable board, or some- 
, thing of sufficient buoyancy that I could trust to amid such 
waves as I saw were running. There was nothing large 
enough to deserve such confidence ; I looked aft over the taff- 
rail, every thing there looked gloomy and forbidding ,' I cast 
my eyes forward, the wind was directly ahead, and the 
flames were forced, in the most terrific manner, toward the 
stern, threatening every thing in its range with instant de- 
struction. I then thought if I could pass the middle of the 
boat, which seem.ed also to be the centre of the fire, I might 
find security in standing to windward on the bowsprit. I 
made the attempt. It was vain. The flames were an insur- 
mountable barrier. I was obliged to return toward the stern. 
There was then no one in sight. I stepped over upon the 
starboard side of the quarter-deck. I thought all was gone 
with me. At that moment I saw a lady come up to the cabin 
door, lean her hands against the side of it, and look with a 
steadfast, silent gaze, and distracted air toward the flames ; she 
turned and disappeared in the cabin. It was Mrs. Wilson, 
the poor unfortunate lady who afterward, with the captain's 
assistance, as he informed me, committed herself, with many 
piercing shrieks and agonizing exclamations, to the treache- 
rous support of a small bench on the troublesome bosom of 
the lake. I then looked over the starboard quarter to know 
whether the other boat was indeed gone. I had the happiness 
to see her : she seemed to b'e full, or nearly so ; one or two 
passengers were standing on the lower steps of the accom- 
modation ladder, apparently with the design of entering the 
boat when she came within reach. I was determined to enter 
her at all risks, and instantly leaped over the quarter and de- 
scended into her. I found her knocking under the counter, 
and in danger of foundering. The steam-vessel still continu- 
ed to advance through the water : the waves dashed the boat 
with considerable violence against her, and most of those 
who had sought safety in the boat, being unacquainted with 
water scenes, were much alarmed, and by their ill directed 
eflbrts were adding to the risk. Under these circumstances 
it became necessary to cut the fast, Avhich was done, and 
the boat, and those that were in it, were instantly secure. All 



464 EXPLOSION OF THE FULTON. 

these incidents occurred in a shorter time than I have consum- 
ed in writing them. From the moment of my hearing the 
first alarm to that of leaving the steam-boat, was not, I am 
satisfied, near ten minutes ; I believe it was not five." 



BLOWING UP OF THE STEAM-FRIGATE 
FULTON, 

At the Navy Yard, Brooklyn, June Uh, 1829. 

The following account was written after visiting the wreck, 
on the morning after the explosion. The Fulton has, ever 
since the war, been occupied as a receiving ship, and was 
moored within two hundred yards of the shore. The maga- 
zine was in the bow of the ship, and contained, at the time of 
the explosion, but three barrels of damaged powder. The 
explosion was not louder than that produced by the discharge 
of a single cannon ; and many persons in the Navy Yard 
supposed the report to have proceeded from such a source, 
until they saw the immense column of smoke arising from the 
vessel. Others about the yard saw the masts rising into the 
air before the explosion, and immediately after, the air was 
filled with fragments of the vessel. It is not a little remark- 
able that a midshipman who was, at the time of the accident, 
asleep on board of the frigate United States, within two hun- 
dred yards of the Fulton, was not at all disturbed by the re- 
port of the explosion, and was not aware of the occurrence 
until he was told of it after he aw^oke. 

The Fulton is a complete wreck ; the bow being destroyed 
nearly to the water, and the whole of this immense vessel, 
whose sides were more than four feet thick, and all other 
parts of corresponding strength, is now lying an entire heap 
of ruins, burst asunder in all parts, and aground at the spot 
where she was moored. Although she was but 200 yards 
from the Navy Yard, and many vessels near her, not one of 
them received the least damage ; nor was the bridge which 
led from the shore to the Fulton at all injured. The sentinel 
upon the bridge received no wound whatever, and continued 
to perform his duty after the accident, as unconcerned as 
though nothing had happened. The sentinel on board the 
ship was less fortunate, and escaped with merely (a light ac- 
cident on such occasions) a broken leg. There were attach- 



EXPLOSION OF THE FULTON. 465 

ed to the Fulton, by the roll of the ship, 143 persons ; and 
at the time of the explosion there were supposed to have been 
on board the vessel about sixty persons. 
Names of the killed. 

The bodies of the following persons have been brought on 
shore and placed in coffins : 

Robert M. Peck, marine ; William Kemp, seaman ; Alex- 
ander Cameron, marine ; Franklin Ely, do. purser's steward ; 
Henry Logan, do. corporal ; John McKeever, do. ; Charles 
Williamson, do. : Otto E. Fergustine, do. ; Sylvester O'Halo 
ran, do. ; Henry Megraw, do. ; James Livingston, ord. s 
man, from Ireland ; Thomas Walton, seaman ; John Pierce 
1st. do. ; Thomas D. Burgen, do. ; Jacob Boise, landsman 
New- York ; Wm. A. Lehman, do. ; Peter Gillen, do. ; Tho 
mas Williams, gunner ; John Dilos Rayes, barber, of Mexico 
Joseph Brown, seaman, acting cook ; Harman Vattel, a boat 
man of New-York ; William Brown, a boy ; Mrs. Brown, a 
mulatto ; Mrs. Stockwell, of ^New^-York ; Mrs. Neilson, a 
Swede, whose husband was a seaman, and died a few days 
since. 

Officers wounded. 

Lieutenant Charles T. Piatt, severely ; Lt. S. M. Brack- 
enridge, (since dead;) Lt. Alexander M. Mull, slightly; 
John Montgomery, sergeant of marines, do. ; Wm. Butler, 
captain's steward, do. ; John Clough, sailing master, se- 
verely. 

Midshipmen. 

Robert E. Johnston, severely ; David M'Dougal, do. ; Ro- 
bert P. Welsh, do. ; Mr. Eckford,* thigh broken. 
Privates wounded. 

Robert Ealpatrick, marine, severely ; Patrick Gilligan, do. 
slightly ; John DriscoU, do. do. ; Nicholas D. Farrell, do. 
severely; Jacob De Hart, do. do.; Thomas M'CuUough, 
cook, slightly ; Charles Scott, seaman, severely ; Zeb. Ro- 
bertson, do. do. ; Joseph Moore, do. slightly ; Thomas New- 
hova, do. do. ; William Brown, musician, severely ; Stephen 
Decatur, a boy, do. 

It happened fortunately that sixty-two men, formerly attach- 
ed to the frigate, were drafted on Tuesday, and had proceeded 
to Norfolk to form part of the crew of the frigate Constella- 
tion, then on the eve of departure for a foreign station. The 
band, 17 in number, were on shore. 

This dreadful accident was occasioned by the gunner's 
* Son of Henry Eckford, Esq. late of New- York. 



466 EXPLOSION OF THE FULTON. 

going into the magazine to procure powder to fire the even- 
ing gun. He was charged by one of the officers, previously to 
his going below, to be careful ; and soon after, the explosion 
took place. We understand that he was a man between fifty 
and sixty years of age, and had just been appointed to that 
office ; the old gunner. having been discharged the day before. 
He was desired by Lieutenant Brackenridge to be cautious 
with the light, and to place it in the location invariably pro- 
vided for it on such occasions, viz. behind a reflecting glass in 
the partition, through which the rays of light are thrown. It 
is supposed he had been careless in this particular, and that 
having carried the candle into the magazine, some of its sparks 
were communicated to the powder ; but as he is among the 
dead, nothing certain on this point can ever be known. Lieut. 
Mull states that the necessary precautions had been taken for 
opening the magazine, and a sentinel placed at the hatch be- 
fore he left the deck, and that, after being in the ward-room 
some twenty minutes, the explosion took place. 

At the time of the explosion the officers were dining in the 
ward-room. The lady of Lieut. Brackenridge, and the son 
of Lieut. Piatt, a lad about nine years old, were guests, and 
one account says both were slightly wounded. Another ac- 
count says, Lieut. Mull, who was sitting next to the son of 
Lieut. Piatt, with great presence of mind caught hold of him 
and placed him in one of the port-holes, by which means he 
escaped uninjured. Lieut. Piatt had returned only yesterday 
morning, having been absent one month on leave. Com. 
Chauncey, with the commander of the frigate, Capt. Newton, 
left her only a few minutes before the explosion — the former 
having been on board on a visit of inspection. 

The escape of Midshipman Eckford seems to have been 
almost miraculous. When Com. Chauncey (who was one of 
the first to reach the vessel) got on board, the first object he 
saw was young Eckford hanging by one of his legs between 
the gun deck, whither he had been forced by the explosion. 
A jack screw was immediately procured, by means of which 
the deck was raised and he was extricated from his perilous 
situation. 

The room in which the officers were dining was situated 
about midships. The whole company at the table were forced 
by the concussion against the transom, with such violence as 
to break their limbs, and otherwise cut and bruise them in a 
shocking manner. 

The magazine was situated in the bows of the vessel. This 



EXPLOSION OF THE FULTON. 467 

part of the ship, as may well be imagined, is completely de- 
molished. Indeed the ship remains as complete a wreck as 
probably was ever beheld. The timbers throughout appear 
to have been perfectly rotten. Many of the guns were thrown 
overboard, and some of them (of large dimensions) hung as it 
were by a hair. 

The bodies of the dead and wounded were brought on shore 
as soon as circumstances would permit. The former, after 
being recognized, were put into coffins. The latter were car- 
ried to the hospital of the Navy Yard, and every attention paid 
to them. The bodies of the dead were shockingly mangled ; 
their features distorted, and so much blackened that it was diffi- 
cult to recognize them. All the physicians of Brooklyn, and 
several from the city, proffered their services, which proved 
very acceptable. 

As soon as the intelligence reached the city, thousands of 
persons visited the wreck of the Fulton. The steam-boats, 
on their passage up the river, stopped to learn the particulars, 
and hundreds of small boats proceeded to the spot. The Navy 
Yard was also filled with persons making inquiries after their 
relations or friends, and expressing much anxiety to see the bo- 
dies, for the purpose of ascertaining whether they were among 
the dead or wounded. 

Commodore Chauncey and the officers of the station were 
on board the wreck after the explosion, giving directions to 
remove the scattered timber, in order that a search might take 
place for such bodies as might be buried in the ruins. 

The tide being at the ebb, immense quantities of the frag- 
ments of the ship floated down in front of the city, and hun- 
dreds of small boats were seen busily engaged in securing 
them. 

Since the foregoing was prepared, we have had a call from 
an officer who left the hulk since ten o'clock. The tide had 
come in, so that she was filled with water. 

We are pained to learn that Mrs. Breckenridge is not 
slightly, but very severely wounded : and the injury of Lieut. 
Piatt is so serious, that but a faint hope is indulged of his re- 
covery. 

What is a very remarkable circumstance, although several 
of the persons at dinner in the ward-room escaped with their 
lives, and some of them uninjured, not a vestige of the table, 
chairs, or any of the furniture in the room, remains. Every 
thing was blown to atoms. 



468 EXPLOSION OF THE FULTON. 

The, scene, even this morning at the Navy Yard, is distress- 
ing beyond description. Indeed, to attempt a description of 
such a spectacle, at the very moment when our feelings ^re 
harrowed up to a painful degree by the shocking reality, seems 
too revolting to be undertaken. We might speak of the wound- 
ed living and the mangled dead, and of the fragments of bo- 
dies blown to pieces, mingled among the broken relics of the 
ship — but such particulars may better be left to the reader's 
imagination. 

When we left the Navy Yard at 1 1 o'clock, on]jJive men 
were unaccounted for. These have doubtless perished, either 
by drowning, or by being crushed among the timbers. 

The following particulars, illustrating the engraving in this 
volume, are taken from the Sailor's Magazine. 

The Fulton was built with two keels, or rather was in fact 
two boats, joined together by the upper works. The sides 
were of immense thickness, and the whole frame was, when 
built, probably the strongest of the kind ever constructed. 
But the timbers had now become very rotten, and the whole 
hulk was, as it were, kept together by its own weight. It is 
supposed that the rotten state of the vessel, making her tim- 
bers give way easily, rendered the destruction greater than if 
she had been new and sound. 

The explosion. — The magazine was in the bow of the lar- 
board boat. The whole of the quarter w^as demolished down 
to the water's edge, but this most striking part of the wreck 
could not be exhibited in the picture, as the view was taken 
from the Navy Yard. The beams of the main-deck were bro- 
ken, and a passage was forced through quite to the ward-room, 
where the officers were at dinner, and splinters and fragments 
driven in among them. 

The wreck. — The bowsprit appears to have fallen down 
quite to the water, the whole of that part of the bulwark 
which supported it being bloviTi away. A part of it is seen 
floating on the water. A fragment of the fore-yard lies over 
the starboard bow. The stump of the foremast is seen just 
above the deck, the mast itself lying over against the main- 
mast. The main-mast is broken off a few feet above the deck. 
Aft of this are seen a mangled mass of shattered yards, top- 
mast, mizen-mast, &c. quite concealing the sniall poop deck. 
A gun hangs out of one of the starboard port-holes near the 
gangway. Four of the larboard guns were blown into the 
water, but have all been fished up again. 

Midshi'pman Eckford. — This young gentleman was stand- 



EXPLOSION OF THE FULTON. 469 

^ng in the starboard gangway, and was strangely tumbled to 
the inside, instead of being blown out upon the platform. He 
was then caught under one of the beams, Vv'here he hung fast 
by one leg. 

The following account of his gallant conduct is given on 
the authority of the New- York American. 

While he hung in this painful condition, not a groan, nor 
a complaint, nor a word of supplication escaped him. His 
cheek was unblanched and his features composed, while he 
held on to the beam with his arms to keep his head up. 

Attempts were made to raise the beam, but there was such 
a mass of materials above, that no muscular force could move 
it. In this emergency. Commodore Chauncey, with great 
promptness, ordered the jack-screw to be brought from the 
shore. This took time, and it was not then the work of a mo- 
ment to apply it, and bring it into action. An hour went by 
ere the youth was extricated : and yet not a single murmur 
of impatience was heard from his lips. His only words were 
in direction or encouragement to those who were aiding him — 
exclaiming from time to time, " Hurra, my hearties !" " There 
it moves !" His only reproof was to the sailor, who, when the 
beam was raised, attempted, rather rudely, to withdraw the 
fractured limb. The sailor supported him whilst he performed 
the office himself. 

The killed and uwunded. — The whole number of killed was 
thirty-three, including Lieutenant Brackenridge and the three 
women. Twenty-nine were reported as wounded, but there 
were many more who were slightly injured. Nearly every 
person on board received at least a scratch. 

The greatest part of the mischief was done by the force of 
the fragments and splinters. These were driven into every 
part of the ship. Captain Newton, who commanded the ship, 
employed all the force he could spare, to clear the wreck, and 
find the bodies of the unfortunate sufferers. Tvv-enty-four 
were taken out of the ruins at the time, but some of the others 
were not found till a considerable time affor 

One was found horribly mutilated, and drifted ashore on 
Staten Island. Another got fastened to a beam, and was pick- 
ed up. Two were picked out of the water near the wreck. 

40 



470 EXPLOSION OF THE NEW-ENGLAND. 

EXPLOSION OF THE STEAM-BOAT NEW- 
ENGLAND, 

At Essex, Connecticut River, October 9th, 1833. 

The following statement was published in the Connecticut 
Courant of Monday, October 14. The boat left New- York 
on Tuesday afternoon, October 8, at 4 o'clock. She started 
in company with the Providence steam-boat Boston, but gra- 
dually gained on the latter through the Sound. A degree of 
anxiety was felt by some of the passengers on account of the 
competition between the two t)oats. But we have no evi- 
dence that this anxiety was warranted by any unusual press 
of steam on board the New-England. The boat reached the 
river about one o'clock, when, of course, all competition was 
at an end. At Saybrook some difhculty occurred with the 
engine, which rendered it necessary to throw out an anchor 
to prevent the boat from drifting ashore. After a detention 
of twenty or thirty minutes at Saybrook, the boat proceeded 
on her way up the river about eight miles, and arrived oppo- 
site Essex about three o'clock. Her engine was stopped, the 
small boat was let down to land a passenger, and had just 
reached the shore, when both the boilers exploded almost si- 
multaneously, with a noise like heavy cannon. The shock 
was dreadful ; and the scene which followed is represented by 
those who were present as awful and heart-rending beyond 
description. The morning was excessively dark ; the rain 
poured in torrents ; the lights on deck and in the cabin were 
suddenly extinguished ; and all was desolation and horror on 
board. Those only who witnessed the havoc which was 
made, and heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded and 
dying, can form an adequate conception of the scene. 

There were upward of seventy passengers on board, and 
others belonging to the boat to the number of about twenty, 
making in all nearly one hundred persons. Most of the pas- 
sengers were fortunately in their berths. Those who were in 
the gentlemen's cabin escaped without any serious injury. 
The most destructive effects of the explosion were felt on the 
deck and in the ladies' cabin. The ladies who were in their 
berths and remained there, we believe, were not much injured ; 
but those who were on cots opposite the cabin doors, and 
others who, on the first alarm, sprang from their berths, were 



EXPLOSION OF THE NEW-ENGLAND. 471 

more or less scalded. All who were on deck abaft the boil 
ers, we believe, were either killed or badly wounded. Had 
the accident occurred in the day-time, when the passengers 
are generally scattered about the deck and promenade, the 
destruction of lives would in all probability have been much 
greater. 

The following, we believe, is a correct list of the dead and 
wounded: 

DEAD. 

Elias Bushnel, Kiliingworth, deck hand; Daniel Harvey 
Jerome, supposed from New- York, do. ; Jared Lane, Killing- 
worth, do.; James C. Bronson, Hartford, do.; Allen Pratt, 
Hartford, baggage master; John M. Heron, Reading, Conn, 
passenger ; Mr. Shepard, I^lbrwich, do. ; Lyman Warner, 
Plymouth, Conn, do.; Dr. Stephen B. Whiting, Reading, 
Conn., do.; J. T. Burgess, of Waterville, Oneida County, N. 
Y. late of Colchester, Conn. do. ; Mrs. Thompson, (a Scotch 
woman) and child, on her way to reside at Thompsonville, 
Conn, do.; Mrs. Hunter, an elderly Scotch lady, do.; John 
Eastabrook, of Concord, N. H. (body found in the river,) do. 

WOUNDED. 

Captain Waterman, considerably bruised ; William Savage, 
clerk of the boat, slightly scalded ; Giles Farnum, Killing- 
worth, fireman, badly scalded ; Samuel Pasha, Quebec, deck 
hand, do. do. ; Edwin Bell, Glastenbury, fireman, do, do. ; Jane 
Pruden, chamber-maid, do. do.; Mrs. Abigail Stocking, Mid* 
dletowm, severely scalded; Roderick G. P. Goodrich, We- 
thersfield, badly scalded ; Miss Warner, sister of Lyman W. 
slightly scalded; Mrs. Hastings, GilJ, Mass. do. do.; two 
children of Mrs. Thompson, one severely and the other slightly 
scalded. 

Captain Waterman was on the wheel-house at the time of 
the explosion, attending to the landing of passengers from the 
small boat. He noticed a movement over the boilers, and im- 
mediately jumped or was thrown upon the forward deck. He 
ivas somewhat bruised, but not seriously injured. 

From the inhabitants of Essex the sufferers experienced the 
most kind and hospitable attentions. Their houses were thrown 
open for their reception, and every thing which could contri- 
bute to their jelief and comfort promptly afforded. 

As soon as the melancholy intelligence reached Hartford 
on Wednesday morning, the proprietors despatched the steam- 
boat Massachusetts for the surviving passengers, and several 
of our physicians repaired to the scene of suffering. The 



472 EXPLOSION OF THE NEW-ENGLAND. 

Massachusetts returned the same night, bringing- a number of 
passengers, some of the wounded, and one dead body. Two 
or three bodies were also brought up the next day by the 
Chief Justice Marshall. 

In regard to the cause of this dreadful explosion, we believe 
it to be the prevailing opinion of all who have taken pains to 
ascertain the facts in the case, that it may be traced to negli- 
gence or presumption on the part of the engineer, in permit- 
ting the steam to accumulate beyond what the strength of the 
boilers could sustain. From the best information we can ob- 
tain, the steam was not blown off while the boat lay at Say- 
brook, and the same was true during her stoppage al Essex. 
It is said, however, that steam was blown off while the boat 
was under way between Saybrook and Essex. Mr. Potter, 
the engineer, who has been for many years in the employment 
of the proprietors, was not on board during this trip ; his place 
was supplied by Mr. Marshall, from the West Point Foundery, 
who had the reputation of skill in his profession. He declares 
there were only eight or ten inches of steam on at the time of 
the explosion : but beside the improbability on the face of this 
statement, there is said to be strong testimony of a very differ- 
ent character. We trust the proprietors of the boat will make 
a thorough investigation of the facts, and lay them before the 
public. It is due to the community that the cause of this dread- 
ful disaster should, if possible, be fully explained, and the re- 
sponsibility placed where it belongs. 

The steam-boat is much injured. The boilers were rent 
asunder and thrown into the river. The guards on which 
they rested were broken off. The promenade deck, from the 
captain's office to the ladies' cabin, a distance of about thirty 
feet, was lifted from its place and fell in part upon the main 
deck. The ladies' cabin was considerably racked and in- 
jured, and all her upper works in the vicinity of the boilers 
are in a shattered condition. The baggage-houses, situated in 
the rear of the boilers, were demolished, and the baggage 
thrown into the river. There was also considerable loss of 
freight. 

The New-England was a new^ boat, and commenced run- 
ning about two months since. Her engine and boilers were 
made at West Point, and, as was supposed, of the best mate- 
rials and in the best manner. No expense was spared to 
make the boat in every respect complete, and to finish it in 
the most beautiful style. The loss to the proprietors will be 
very serious. But this is a matter of small importance con- 



EXPLOSION OF THE NEW-ENGLAND. 473 

pared with the destruction of lives, the anguish of the suffer- 
ers, and the affliction of relatives and friends, consequent upon 
this terrible disaster. 

The following particulars are extracted from two letters, 
written by a gentleman, passenger in the New-England. 
Middletown, Wednesday, 2 o'clock. 

Our journey in the steam-boat New-England was very 
pleasant last evening, until we entered the Connecticut River. 
At or about one o'clock this morning, when we were ^11 
asleep, myself excepted, I perceived the engine, or something 
else, was out of order. I was in the forward cabin, and con- 
cluded I was in the safest part of the boat : things seemed to 
go on badly, by frequent stops, until 3 o'clock, when both boil- 
ers burst simultaneously, or as nearly together as a two bar- 
rel gvi]! could be discharged by one person ; the result was, 
two persons were killed outright, about 25 wounded or scald- 
ed, out of which number five or six may not survive. The de- 
struction of the upper works was almost entire. Among the 
num.ber injured, six or eight women are included, being on 
the upper deck cabin. In the main cabin three or four were 
badly injured. In the front cabin no one was injured, neither 
did any steam enter it. I was awake, and knew what it all 
meant. I hastened up, and in the course of fifteen minutes 
got lights and began to look after my baggage. 

Nearly all the baggage on board, together with about 50 
boxes of tea and dry goods, had disappeared ; after day-light, 
some of my luggage was found floating in tlie river. 

When I went on board the boat, I perceived that if an ex- 
plosion should take place, the chief danger was to those on 
deck, and as soon as it was over, I was sure the hull of the 
vessel was sound ; all this happened at a town called Essex, 
10 miles from the sound. The steam-boat was in thirty min- 
utes got to the wharf, where the towns-people were disposed 
to render every aid. The event seemed to be distressing be- 
yond description : the captain and men were astounded, and 
are as ignorant of the cause as the passengers. The fact is, 
the boilers v/anted water. The first boiler, I apprehend, threw 
her broken boiler against the other, which caused its explo- 
sion. 

Hartford, Thursday morning, Oct. 10. 

" On the arrival of the intelligence here of the explosion 
of the New-England, a steam-boat was sent down to the 
scene of distress ; she returned a few moments since with the 

40* 



474 EXPLOSION OF THE NEW-ENGLAND. 

news of four deaths, and that eight or ten more must die with 
their wounds, and perhaps more. The upper works of this 
unfortunate boat is the most extraordinary wreck I ever be- 
held, and if the event had occurred in the day-time, when the 
passengers are generally upon the decks, not a person could 
have escaped injury. I believe I wrote you that I early dis- 
covered that there was an imperfection in the working of the 
machinery of this boat ; that, however, I considered of no 
importance, as regarded safety ; but when she found it neces- 
sary to lay to, to fix her steering ropes, which required some 
time, I at once became astonished that she did not throw off 
steam, as is usually the case when stops are made, and from 
this time to the explosion there were several stops made, and 
at the different stoppages of the engine 1 could perceive but 
a faint sound of the discharge of steam. 

I became early impressed with the suspicion that something 
was wrong, and from my own reasoning on the subject did 
not consider ourselves in a condition of safety, and so con- 
firmed was I in this impression, that I came to the conclusion 
of remaining where I was, in preference to changing my po- 
sition. At three o'clock the explosion was most terrific, and 
for many minutes every thing around seemed like chaos. I 
found myself unhurt, and, some how, entirely free from ex- 
citement or extraordinary alarm. I got on my clothes, and 
while dressing, one or two persons rushed to the front cabin 
where I was. I asked them some questions, but they were 
so horror stricken that the power of utterance had ceased, 
and when they began to utter, it was in whispers, a word at a 
time, and long intermissions. I went above, where all was 
darkness. I returned, got a lamp, and then began my explo- 
ration. The decks were covered with broken timbers — the 
baggage all thrown into the river — the cries and shouts of 
misery, and the moaning of the dying, was for a moment with 
me a paralysis ; I then felt like helping what I could. I visit- 
ed the different scenes of distress among the passengers, 
found nothing could be done for them but get the boat to the 
shore as speedily as possible, and in about 30 minutes we lay 
alongside of the dock ; the good people of Essex were all 
up with the first report of the explosion, supposing it was an 
rarthquake. The news was soon spread, the inhabitants 
came down Avith great energy ; prompt and efficient services 
were rendered by the male and female citizens ; their oil, 
their cotton, their meal, their rags, and every thing they pos- 
sessed was promptly furnished and applied, and every thing 



EXPLOSION OF THE NEW-ENGLAND. 4T5 

was done by the hands of these estimable inhabitants to alle- 
viate the distresses of the unfortunate sufferers. This boat 
has been built at a great cost, and no expense has been spar- 
ed ; she has run a month, and I believe the only cause of 
this misfortune has originated from the want of water in the 
boilers, it became so rarified in the boilers that both exploded 
simultaneously, or so near together that it was barely per- 
ceptible. I remarked the difference, and knew before I went 
on deck that both had exploded. 

The appearance of the wreck is thus described by E. 
Champion, Jun. in a communication on the subject. Never, 
of its kind, was so melancholy a ruin presented to the eye, as 
the wreck of the New-England. You approach her as you 
approach the cemetry of the dead. She seems the slaugh- 
ter-house of the traveler. As you enter her these melancholy 
associations cease. You stand astonished at the force and 
effect of the murderous explosion. From the stem to the 
wheel-room all is well ; from the wheel-room aft, athwart the 
deck, and downward to the water, you see the direction as 
well as power of the blast. The explosion downward seems 
to have been far more powerful than in any other direction, 
and yet, with a resisting body as near the boiler, equal force 
might have been demonstrated in other parts. The guards 
on deck, extending beyond the hull, upon which the boilers 
were placed, ^vere blown through, the exact size of the boil- 
ers : beams of a foot square, supported by braces and knees, 
being blown off as square and close to the hull as if sawed 
by the carpenter. Beyond the exact size of the boilers, the 
deck was entire. The souffle or blast of the larboard boilers 
was felt as far as the extreme stern, on the outside of the la- 
dies' cabin, where it slightly scalded a lad}^ The blast of the 
starboard boiler swept also to the stern, and both blew off th^e 
promenade deck as far back as the ladies' cabin, leaving the 
centre. The steps at the quarters were blown out of shape 
and crushed sideways by the blast. This shows that no po- 
sition outside the ladies' cabin could be safe. The front of 
the ladies' cabin was pressed inward about eighteen inches at 
the door, and opened at the corners about twelve inches. The 
chamber-maid, sleeping in her (upper) berth, next the lar- 
board boiler, was thrown out, and fell upon her hands in the 
water. This position on the floor was the first thing of 
which she was sensible. Two children, sleeping in the berth 
beneath her, were unhurt — the scalding element probably 



476 EXPLOSION OF THE NEW-ENGLAND. 

raging above them. The steam filled the ladies' cabin and 
extinguished the lights. A child, in the most remote berth 
from the boiler, and next the stern, was so scalded as to die. 
A lady, in the berth next it, also died. Her clothes were so 
hot as to scald the hands of those that removed them. This 
must have been forty feet from the boiler, stating from im- 
pression. Letters exposed to the steam, were charred or re- 
duced to coal in places. Such facts indicate the extreme high 
temperature of the steam — far beyond ordinary steam. Per- 
kins, inventor of the steam-gun, claims that he can so heat 
steam that it shall fall, in atmospheric air, in flakes of snow. 
In counting the peril of steam explosions, let it be taken into 
the account, that the steam is frequently many times hotter 
than ordinary steam of boiling water. The ladies' cabin so 
shattered and filled with steam, is the upper ladies' cabin. It 
has sixteen berths, all occupied, and some settees. The la- 
dies who kept their berths were least burnt. Exposure pro- 
duced scald. The ladies' cabin under this was occupied by 
gentlemen. All below deck were unhurt, and prompt to give 
their aid to the suflferers above deck. Had one boiler been 
in the centre, or had either projected over the deck a single 
foot, certain death to all below deck must have followed. At 
the first groan heard from the boat, a gentleman ashore start- 
ed for three surgeons, who were soon on the spot. All was 
done that woman, then and ever ministering angel, man, skill 
and untiring devotion could do. In result, fifteen have died, 
and seven are in a critical but hopeful state. 

The starboard boiler doubtless sunk through the opening in 
the wing where it stood, made by its own blast. It lies near 
the spot. The larboard boiler was scattered into fragments, 
its top, bottom, sides and back being torn away and lost, leav- 
ing the flues and front only. The flues were thrown forward 
from a horizontal to a perpendicular position, and lodged upon 
the wood, some six feet forward. 

jt 
The Board of Examiners in their report, thus describe the 
appearances presented on their examination. On the 7th of 
November they met at the borough of Essex, and proceeded 
to examine the state of said boat, and the remains of the boil- 
ers. On visiting the steam-boat, they found that those portions 
of the guards and railing, on which the boilers had been plac- 
ed, together with the boiler-houses, railings, and the other 
contiguous wood-w^ork, had been entirely destroyed by the ef- 
fects of the explosion. The front of the ladies' cabin upon 
the quarter deck had also been forced inward, and partially 



EXPLOSION OF THE NEW-ENGLAND. 477 

destroyed, and that part of the upper, or promenade deck, 
which extended from said cabin to the engine-room near the 
centre of the boat, had been sw^ept entirely away. The engine 
remained without injury ; but the steam-pipe which led from 
one of the boilers Avas broken off at its junction with the main 
steam-pipe in the engine-room, near the point where it unites 
with the steam-pipe from the starboard boiler. The Safety- 
valve, which is attached to the main steam-pipe at the junc- 
tion of the two branch pipes near the engine, remains unim- 
paired, and is a large and apparently well constructed valve. 
A mercurial steam-guage is attached to the main steam-pipe 
at this point, which serves to indicate to the engineer the 
pressure of steam in the boilers. The mercury was not thrown 
from this guage by the explosion, and the guage remained in 
good order after the accident. Two other mercurial guages 
of the same description were shown to us, which had been 
attached, one to each of the boilers on that part called the 
steam-chimney, which having no water in contact with its in- 
ner surface, becomes heated more than any other portion of 
the boiler. These guages had been torn from their places at 
the time of the explosion, and in one of them a portion of the 
mercury with which it had been charged was found remain- 
ing after the accident. 

The mutilated portions of the boilers which were examined, 
gave abundant evidence of the great power or force of the 
explosive action. They were found to be dismembered and 
torn in a manner which it is difficult to describe. The boilers 
were not, as occurs in some cases of steam-boat explosions, 
rent merely in the main flue, thus giving vent to the steam, 
or, as in other cases, with a head torn off and lacerated, and 
still retaining their external form, and remaining in their beds ; 
but the boilers of the New-England were torn asunder, and 
folded in massy doublings, like a garment ; and they were so 
crushed, flattened, and distorted, that, as they lay upon the 
wharf, after they were raised from the bed of the river, it was 
difficult for a common observer to discover how the mutilated 
parts were ever connected into symmetry, so as to combine 
just proportion and strength. 

The appearance of the boilers, however, was such as to in- 
dicate that they had been constructed in a substantial manner. 
The copper, in all the ruptured parts, had every appearance 
of being tough and free from flaws ; nor did it exhibit the 
flaking and discoloration which great heat is_ known to pro- 
duce upon the metal when not covered by water. The {\fter 



478 CAPTURE OF THE GUERRIERE. 

ends of the two boilers still remain in the river,* all attempts 
to discover them having as yet proved ineffectual. 

The Board of Examiners, appointed by the Connecticut 
River Steam-Boat Company, to inquire into the causes of the 
explosion, consisting of Professors B. Silliman and D. Olm- 
sted, of Yale College, and Messrs. W. C. Redfi-eld, D. Cope- 
land, and J. F. Lawson, Engineers, having met at Essex, 
November 7th, decided, after having examined the wreck and 
heard testimony, thai the explosion of the steo.m-boat New-Eng- 
land was caused by the pressure of steam, produced in the or- 
dinary way, but accumulated to a degree of tension which the 
boilers were U7iable to sustain. It was estimated that the steam, 
at the time of the explosion, must have accumulated to nearly 
or quite thirty inches, giving an aggregate expansive force on 
the internal surface of each boiler, of not less than 3,000,000 
pounds. In all, fifteen persons have died, including those 
whose bodies were found in the river. 



CAPTURE OF THE GUERRIERE. 



|^^¥ 



The action between the U. S. frigate Constitution, Capt. 
Isaac Hull, and the British frigate Guerriere, Capt. Da- 
CREs, which terminated in the capture of the latter vessel, will 
be ever memorable. It took place in lat. 42, Ion. 56 west, on 
the 19th of August, 1812, distant, nearly due east, about 500 
miles from Cape Cod. 

The Guerriere had, by the British, been considered as the 
best frigate on the American station ; and but a few days pre- 
vious to the action, Capt. Dacres endorsed on the register of 
the American brig John Adams, which arrived at New- York, 
September 4th, 1812, the following challenge. 

" Captain Dacres, commander of his Britannic Majesty's 
frigate Guerriere, of forty-four guns, presents his compli- 
ments to Commodore Rogers, of the United States' frigate 
President, and will be happy to meet him, or any other Ame- 
rican frigate of equal force to the President, off Sandy Hook, 
for the purpose of having a few minutes tete-a-tete^ The 
Constitution was precisely of equal force to the President, and 

* Since the examination, both of them have been found in the river; 
they were blown far astern of the steam-boat. 



CAPTURE OF THE GUERRIF.RE. 479 

Captain Dacres had but too soon the short-lived satisfaction 
of being introduced to the ''tete-a-tete^^ he had so eagerly 
courted. 

The frigates saw each other at 2 o'clock P. M. and at half 
past three the Constitution, sailing before the wind, had gained 
so much upon the Guerriere that her character as a frigate 
was known. A little before five, both frigates (then three miles 
apart) prepared for the bloody strife; the crew of the Constitu- 
tion giving three cheers, and petitioning to be brought close 
alongside the enemy. This was an eventful hour. The 
American people were at the time humbling themselves be- 
fore God, solemnizing a day of national fasting and prayer. 
Captain Hull and Captain Dacres weremeetingfor the decision 
of a contest, to which all eyes, both in England and America, 
could they have been witnesses, had turned. It was the first 
time, after a lapse of thirty years' peace, where the equality of 
the force to be engaged gave to each the hope, as well as the 
determination to conquer. It was America with England ; it 
was England with America. 

As soon as the Constitution was ready for action, Captain 
Hull bore down with an intention to bring him to close action 
inmiediately. A little after five the Guerriere displayed the 
English ensigns, and began firing, giving first a broadside, 
then filling and wearing away, and adding a second broadside 
upon the other tack, but without effect, her shot falling short. 
Fifteen minutes after the fire from the Guerriere, the Constitu- 
tion set her colors and fired. For three-quarters of an hour 
the frigates were now engaged, the Guerriere wearing very 
often, and endeavoring to get a raking position ; the Consti- 
tution manoeuvring to close w^th him, and at the same time 
avoid being raked, each firing occasionally. Disappointed in 
getting a raking position, the Guerriere bore up. Five min- 
utes before six they were alongside within half pistol shot. 
In this situation the superiority of American gunnery became 
at once splendidly manifest. All the guns of the Constitution, 
double shotted with round and grape, poured in so heavy a 
fire, and so well directed, that in sixteen minutes the mizen 
mast of the Guerriere went by the board ; her main yard in 
the slings : her hull, rigging, and sails very much cut to pie- 
cee. The fire continued to be kept up with equal warmth for 
ten minutes, when the Guerriere fell on board the Constitu- 
tion, her bowsprit foul of her mizen rigging. The firing still 
kept up, and the cabin of the Constitution took fire from the 
Gwerriere's guns, but was extinguished. After remaining en- 



480 CAPTURE OF THE MACEDONIAN. 

gaged in this situation for five minutes, the fore and main mast 
of the Guerriere both went by the board, but for which she had 
been boarded by the Constitution, preparations for which had 
been made. 

The Constitution then shot ahead of the enemy, and in to- 
Ken of submission the Guerriere fired a gun to leeward. 

Thus, after thirty minutes close action, " /ere-d-i(e^e," the 
Guerriere is without a mast or a single spar standing, except 
the bowsprit ; and her hull, below and above water, so shatter- 
ed that a few more broadsides must have carried her down. 
We see her, in short, (using the words of Captain Dacres, in 
his oflScial account of his capture,) "a perfectly unmanage- 
able wreck." The Constitution lost all her braces, much of 
her rigging, and some of her spars. The British, by their 
own account, had 15 killed and 63 wounded in the action ; 
her second lieutenant was among the former ; the captain, 
first lieutenant, and master, among the latter. Beside these, 
24 of her crew were missing; by the British account, how- 
ever, they were absent when the action began. Ten others 
{impressed Americans) are said to have taken no part in the 
action. Captain Dacres in his speech, when on trial for strik- 
ing his flag, says concerning them, that his quarters were 
"considerably weakened" by permitting Americans belonging 
to the ship to quit their quarters, on the enemy hoisting the 
colors of that nation; which, though it deprived him of the 
men, he thought it his duty to do. 

The Guerriere mounted forty-nine carriage guns, and had 
a crew of 302. The Constitution has been stated to have 
mounted fifty-four guns, and to have had a crew rising of 
400 ; she had only 7 killed, and 7 wounded. Lieut. Brush, of 
the marines, among the killed, and Lieut. Morris among the 
wounded. 

Next morning after the action, the Guerriere had four feet 
of water in her hold, and in the afternoon of that day she 
was set on fire and blown up. The Constitution, with her 
prisoners, arrived in Boston harbor on the 30th of August. 



CAPTURE OF THE MACEDONIAN. 

Eight days after the capture of the Frolic, the British 
frigate Macedonian, commanded by Captain John Cardan. 



CAPTURE OF THE MACEDONlAK. . 481 

mounting 49 carriage guns, and carrying 306 men, became a 
prize to the U. S. frigate United States, Com. Stephen Deca- 
tur commander, after an action of an hour and a half. This 
was in lat. 29 deg. N. long. 29 deg. 30 min. W. .on the 25th 
of October, 1812, off the Western Islands. 

The Macedonian was a frigate of the largest class, two 
years old, four months out of dock, and reputed one of the 
best sailers in the British service, and being at the windward, 
had the advantage of engaging the United States at her own 
distance, which was so great, that for the first half hour the 
United States tnade no use of her carronades ; and, to the 
close of the action, she was never once within the complete 
effect of the United Slates' musketry and grape. But for this 
circumstance, and the unusual swell which was on at the 
time, the action had undoubtedly been much sooner finished. 
Captain Carden, on coming on board the United States as a 
prisoner, fell into a state of deep dejection, repeatedly observ- 
ing that he -was a ruined man, and that his mortification was 
intolerable. On finding, hovv-ever, that he had Capt. Dacres 
as a companion in defeat, his spirits revived. To Lieut. Wil- 
liam H. Allen, Commodore Decatur awarded particular no- 
tice in his official account of the engagement, imputing to his 
unremitted exertions in disciplining the crew the obvious su- 
periorit)'- of our gunnery, as exhibited in the result of the con- 
test ; and of every officer, seaman, and marine on board his 
ship, remarks, that their enthusiasm on discovering the ene- 
my, their steady conduct in battle, and the precision of their 
fire, could not be surpassed. 

The comparative loss of the parties must fill every one 
with astonishment. The Macedonian lost her mizen-mast, 
fore and main-tdp-masts, and main-3^ard; received 100 shot 
in her hull ; had thirty-six killed and sixty- seven wounded. 
Among the former, the boatswain, master's mate, and school- 
master ; of the latter, 1st and 3d lieutenant, a masters mate, 
and two midshipmen. The United States had only five kill- 
ed and six wounded. Lieut. Funk was of the former num- 
ber. So little was the United States damaged during the ac- 
tion, that in five minutes she was fully repaired for another. 
The security of her prize, however, requiring her company 
into port, she made for America, and on the 4th of December* 
conducted the Macedonian safe into New-London. It so hap- 
pened that the news of this third brilliant naval victory was 
received at Washington the very evening that had been there 
previously fixed upon for a naval ball, at which a large and 

41 



482 CAPTURE OF THE JAVA. 

yery respectable company were assembled ; a scene graced 
by nearly all the beauty and fashion of the city. All was joy 
and gayety, such as could scarcely admit of augmentation, and 
yet it was destined to be increased. About nine o'clock a ru- 
mor was spread that Lieut. Hamilton, the son of the secretary 
of the navy, had reached the house, the bearer of the colors 
of the Macedonian, and despatches from Com. Decatur. The 
gentlemen crowded down to meet him. He was received 
with loud cheers, and escorted to the festive hall, where await- 
ed him the embraces of a fond father, mother, and sisters ! It 
was a scene easier felt than described. The room in which 
the company had assembled had been previously decorated 
with the trophies of naval victory. The colors of the Guer- 
riere and Alert were displayed on the wall, and the flag of the 
Macedonian alone was wanting to complete the group. It 
was produced and borne into the hall by Capts. Hull and 
Stewart, and others of our brave seamen, amidst the loud ac- 
clamations of the company, and greeted with national music 
from the band. 



CAPTURE OF THE JAVA. 

But about two months after the capture of the Macedonian, 
the United States' frigate Constitution, then under the com- 
mand of Com. William Bainbridge, achieved a most as- 
tonishing victory in capturing the British frigate Java, Capt. 
Lambert, mounting 49 guns, having a full complement for 
her crew, with upward of one hundred supernumeraries, ofli- 
cers and seamen, whom the Java was taking out for the East- 
India service — in all, upward of 400. 

This action took place on the •29th of December, 1812, off 
St. Salvador, on the coast of the Brazils, lat. 13, 6, S. Ion. 38, 
W. about thirty miles from the shore, and lasted one hour 
and fifty-five minutes, when the Java was completely dismast- 
ed, not having a spar of any size standing. 

The action commenced at ten minutes after 2 o'clock P. 
M. the ships then half a mile apart, the Java keeping at a 
greater distance than wished by Com. Bainbridge, which he 
could not prevent without danger of exposure to a raking fire. 
This danger he however thought best to encounter, as will 
appear from the following minutes from his log-book : — 



CAPTURE OF THE JAVA. 483 

At 2, 10 min. P. M. commenced the action within good grape 
and canister distance ; the enemy to windward, but 
much farther than I wished. 

2, 30, Our wheel shot entirely away. 

2, 40, Determined to close with the enemy, notwithstand- 
ing the raking ; set the fore and main sail and luifed 
up to him. 

2, 50, The enemy's gib-boom got foul of our mizen 
rigging. 

3, 00, The head of the enemy's bowsprit and gib-boom 

shot away. 
3, 05, Shot away the enemy's foremast by the board. 
3, 15, Shot away his maintop-mast, just by the top. 
3, 40, shot away his gaff and spanker-boom. 

3, 55, Shot away his mizen-mast just by the board. 

4, 05, Having silenced the fire of the enemy completely, 

and his colors in the main rigging being down, sup- 
posed he had struck, then hauled aboard the courses 
to shoot ahead to repair the rigging, which was ex- 
tremely cut, leaving the enemy a complete wreck. 
Soon after discovered the enemy's flag still flying — 
hove to to repair some of our damage. 
4, 20, The enemy's main-mast went nearly by the board, 

4, 50, Wore ship and stood for the enemy. 

5, 25, Got very near the enemy in a very eflfectual raking 

position, when he most prudently struck his flag, for 
had he suffered the broadside to have raked him, his 
additional loss must have been extremely great, as he 
lay an unmanageable wreck upon the water. 
Capt. Lambert received a mortal wound at half past three 
o'clock, of which he afterward died at St. Salvador, January 
4th. On board the Java, says the official letter of Com. Bain- 
bridge, there were, " killed 60, and 101 certainly wounded." 
The truth is, the officers of the Java took great pains to con- 
ceal both the number they had on board and the amount of 
their loss, which, there is good reason to believe, considerably 
exceeded the official account, great indeed as it was by that 
representation. A letter written by H. D. Cornick, an officer 
of the Java, to his friend, and accidentally found, makes the 
number killed to be 60, the number wounded 170, who, per- 
haps, many of them, died before removal from the ship, in 
which there was great delay, all the boats of both ships, one 
excepted, having been destroyed during the engagement. 
The muster-book of the Java had 440 names, and the Consti^ 



48-4 BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE. 

tution received from her, after her capture, including the 
wounded, but 341 ; leaving a deficiency of 99 killed and 
missing. It was alledged that about 40 of those on the mus- 
ter-book left the ship before she sailed from England ; but 
the muster-book was dated November 1st, four days after the 
Java sailed. The Constitution had only nine killed ! Com- 
modore Bainbridge, Lieut. Aylwin, and 23 others wounded ; 
her rigging much cut, but only three shot in her hull. 

The Constitution carried fifty-four guns. Her weight of 
shot in a broadside 677 lbs. 4 oz. The Java mounted forty- 
nine guns. Weight of shot in a broadside 605 lbs. 

The prisoners were parolled at St. Salvador, and were as 
follows : — 1 lieutenant-general, 1 major, 1 captain, 1 post-cap- 
tain, 1 master and commander, 5 lieutenants 3 lieutenants of 
marines, 1 surgeon, 2 assistant surgeons, 1 purser, 15 mid- 
shipmen, 1 gunner, 1 boatswain, 1 master, 1 carpenter, 2 cap- 
tains' clerks — Total 38 officers, with 323 petty officers, sea- 
men, marines, and boys. 

The Java was an important ship, fitted out in completest 
order to carry lieut. general Hislop and his staff to Bom- 
bay, and several naval officers for different ships in the East 
Indies, and had despatches for St. Helena, Cape of Good 
Hope, and every English establishment in the India and Chi- 
nese seas. She had also on board copper for a seventy-four 
and 2 brigs, building at Bombay. 

The Java was set on fire and blown up on the 31st of De- 
cember, it being found impossible to conduct her into port. 

The Constitution left St. Salvador January 6th, and arrived 
in Boston on the 8th of February, having, it is said, been fully 
prepared on her way to have at any time contended again 
for victory. Com. Bainbridge, on landing at Boston, was re^ 
ceived with a salute of cannon and the loud acclamations of 
thousands. The streets were filled with a delighted populace, 
and the houses and chimney -tops were covered with people. 
The Legislature of Massachusetts being in session, passed a 
vote of thanks for the victory. 



BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE. 

The following minute and interesting account of the naval 
conflict on lak?, Erie was written by an eye-witness. " Com- 



f^ BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE. 485 

modore Perry arrived at Erie in June, with five small vessels 
from Black Rock. The Queen Charlotte and Lady Prevost 
were cruising off Long Point to intercept him — he passed 
them in the night unperceived. The Lawrence and Niagara 
were then on the stocks — every exertion was made to expe- 
dite their building and equipment, and early in August they 
were ready to sail. But it was necessary to pass the bar at the 
entrance of the harbor, over which there was but six feet of 
water, and the brigs drew nine. The British fleet appeared off 
the harbor, for the purpose of preventing ours from going to 
lake ! The means employed by our officers to take the brigs 
over the bar were ingenious, and deserve mention. Two large 
scows, fifty feet long, ten feet wide, and eight feet deep, were 
prepared. They were first filled with water and then floated 
alongside one of the vessels in a parallel direction ; they Avere 
then secured by means of large pieces of hewn timber placed 
athwart ship, with both ends projecting from the port-holes 
across the scows, the space between the timbers and the boat 
being secured by other pieces properly arranged ; the water 
v^as then bailed from the scows, thereby giving them an as- 
tonishing lifting power. It was thus that the bar was passed 
before the enemy had taken any steps to oppose it. One ob- 
stacle was surmounted, but the fleet was not in a condition to 
? aek the enemy at Maiden. There was not at this time more 
than half sailors enough to man the fleet. However, a num- 
ber of Pennsylvania militia having volunteered their services, 
the Commodore made a short cruise off Long Point, more 
perhaps for the purpose of exercising his men than seeking 
an enemy. 

" About the last of xlugust Commodore Perry left Erie, to 
co-operate with General Harrison in the reduction of Maiden. 
He anchored off the mouth of Sandusky river, and had an 
interview with General Harrison, who furnished him with 
about seventy volunteers, principally Kentackians, to serve as 
marines on board the fleet. Captain Dobbin, in the Ohio, was 
ordered to return to Erie for provisions. The Amelia had been 
left there for want of men to man her. Exclusive of these, be 
had nine sail, mounting, in all, fifty-four guns. The British 
feet at Maiden consisted of six sail, and mounted sixty-six 
guns. 

" Commodore Perry appeared before Maiden, offered bat- 
tle, reconnoitered the enemy, and retired to Put-in-Bay, thirty- 
five miles distant from his antagonist. Both parties remained 

41* 



486 BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE. 

a few days inactive ; but their repose was that of the lion. 

"On the morning of the 18th of September, at sunrise, the 
enemy were discovered bearing down from Maiden, for the 
evident purpose of attacking our squadron, then at anchor at 
Put-inBay. Not a moment was to be lost. Perry's squad- 
ron immediately got under way, and stood out to meet the 
British fleet, which at this time had the weather gage. At 10 
A. M. the wind shifted from S. W. to S. E. which brought 
our squadron to windward. The wind was light, the day 
beautiful: not a cloud obscured the horizon. The line was 
formed at 11, and Commodore Perry caused an elegant flag, 
which he had privately prepared, to be hoisted at the mast- 
head of the Lawrence ; on this flag was painted, in charac- 
ters legible to the whole fleet, the dying words of the immor- 
tal Lawrence: — "Don't give up the ship." Its efl^ect is 
not to be described — every heart was electrified. The crews 
cheered — the exhilerating can was passed. Both fleets ap- 
peared eager for the conflict, on the result of which so much 
depended. At 25 minutes before twelve the Detroit, the 
headmost ship of the enemy, opened upon the Lawrence, 
which for ten minutes was obliged to sustain a well-directed 
and heavy fire from the enemy's two large ships, without being 
able to return it with carronades ; at five minutes before twelve 
the Lawrence opened upon the enemy : the other vessels 
were ordered to support her, but the wind was at this time too 
light to enable them to come up. Every brace and bowline 
of the Lawrence being soon shot away, she became unman- 
ageable, and in this situation sustained the action upward of 
two hours, within canister distance, until every gun was ren- 
dered useless, and biit a small part of her crew^ left unhurt upon 
deck. 

"At half past two the wind increased and enabled the Nia- 
gara to come into close action — the gun-boats took a nearer po- 
sition. Commodore Perry left his ship in charge of Lieut. 
Yarnel, and went on board the Niagara. Just as he reached 
that vessel the flag of the Lawrence came down ; the crisis 
had arrived. Captain Elliot at this moment anticipated the 
wishes of the Commodore, by volunteering his services to 
bring the schooner into close action. 

"At forty-five minutes past two the signal was made for 
close action. The Niagara being very little injured, and hef 
crew fresh, the Commodore determined to pass through the 
enemy's line; he accordingly bore up and passed ahead of 



BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE. 487 

the Detroit, Q,ueen Charlotte, and lady Prevost, pourings a ter- 
rible raking fire into them from the starboard guns, and on 
the Chippeway and Little Belt, from the larboard side, at half 
pistol-shot distance. The small vessels at this time having 
got within grape and canister distance, kept up a well direct- 
ed and destructive fire. The action now raged with the 
greatest fury — the Queen Charlotto, having lost her com- 
mander and several of her principal officers, in a moment of 
confusion got foul of the Detroit — in this situation the enemy 
in their turn had to sustain a tremendous fire without the pow- 
er of returning it with much effect ; the carnage was horri- 
ble — the flags of the Detroit, Queen Charlotte, and Lady Pre- 
vost, were struck in rapid succession. The brig Hunter and 
schooner Chippeway were soon compelled to follow their 
example. The Little Belt attempted to escape to Maiden, 
but she was pursued by two of the gun-boats, and surren- 
dered about three miles distant from the scene of action. 

" The writer of this account, in company with five others, 
arrived at the head of Put-in-Bay Island on the evening of 
the 9th, and' had a view of the action at the distance of only 
ten miles. The spectacle was truly grand and awful. The 
firing was incessant for the space of three hours, and continu- 
ed, at short intervals, forty-five minutes longer. In less than 
one hour after the battle began, most of the vessels of both 
fleets were enveloped in a cloud of smoke, which rendered 
the issue of the action uncertain till the next morning, when 
we visited the fleet in the harbor on the opposite side of the isl- 
and. The reader will easily judge of our solicitude to learn 
the result. There is no sentiment more painful than suspense, 
when it is excited by the uncertain issue of an event like this. 

" If the wind had continued at S. W. it was the intention 
of Admiral Barclay to have boarded our squadron ; for this 
purpose he had taken on board of his fleet about 200 of the 
famous 4ist regimeni; they acted as marines, and fought 
bravely ; but nearly two-thirds of them were either killed or 
wounded. 

•' The carnage on board the prizes was prodigious ; they 
must have lost 200 in killed, beside wounded. The sides of 
the Detroit and dueen Charlotte were shattered from bow to 
stern ; there was scarcely room to place ones hand on their 
larboard sides without touching the impression of a shot — a 
great many balls, canister and grape, were found lodged in 
their bulwarks, which were too thick to be penetrated by our 
carronades, unless within pistol-shot distance. Their masts 



488 BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE, 

were so much shattered that they fell overboard soon after 
they got into the bay. 

" The loss of the Americans was severe, particularly on 
board the Lawrence. When, her flag was struck she had but 
nine men fit for duty remaining on deck. Her sides were 
completely riddled by the shot from the long guns of the Bri- 
tish ships. Her deck, the morning after the conflict, when I 
first went on board, exhibited a scene that defies description ; 
for it was literally covered with blood, which still adhered to 
the plank in clots ; brains, hair, and fragments of bones were 
still sticking to the rigging and sides. The surgeons were 
still busy with the wounded. Enough ! horror appalled my 
senses. 

" Among the wounded were several brave fellows, each of 
whom had lost a leg or an arm ; they appeared cheerful, and 
expressed a hope that they had done their duty. Rome and 
Sparta would have been proud of these heroes. 

" It would be invidious to particularize instances of indivi- 
dual merit, where every one so nobly performed his part. Of 
the nine seamen remaining unhurt at the time the Lawrence 
struck her flag, five were immediately promoted for their un- 
shaken firmness in such a trying situation. The most of these 
had been in the actions with the Guerriere and Java. 

" Every officer of the Lawrence, except the Commodore 
and his little brother, a promising youth 13 years old, were 
either killed or wounded. 

" The efficacy of the gun-boats was, fully proved in this ac- 
tion, and the sterns of all the prizes bear ample testimony of 
the fact. They took raking positions, and galled the enemy 
severely. The Lady Prevost lost twelve men before either of 
the brigs fired on her. Their fire was quick and precise. Let 
us hear the enemy. The general order of Adjutant-General 
Baynes, contains the following words : "His (Perry's) nu- 
merous gun boats, (four,) which had proved the greatest an- 
noyance during the action, were all uninjured." 

" The undaunted bravery of Admiral Barclay entitled him 
to a better fate ; to the loss of the day was superadded griev- 
ous and dangerous wounds : he had before lost an arm ; ii 
Avas now his hard fortune to lose the use of the other, by a 
shot which carried away the blade of the right shoulder ; a 
canister shot made a violent contusion in his hip : his wounds 
were for some days considered mortal. Every possible atteH- 
tion was paid to his situation. When Commodore Perry sail- 
ad for Buflfaloe, he was so far recovered that he took passage on 



BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE. 489 

board our fleet. The fleet touched at Erie. The citizens saw 
the affecting spectacle of Harrison and Perry leading the 
wounded British hero, still unable to walk without help, from 
the beach to their lodgings. , 

" On board the Detroit, twenty-four hours after her surren- 
der, were found, snugly stowed away in the hold, two Indian 
chiefs, who had the courage to go on board at Maiden, for the 
purpose of acting as sharp shooters to kill our officers. One 
had the courage to ascend into the round top and discharge 
his piece, but the whizzing of shot, splinters, and bits of rig- 
ging, soon made the place too warm for him — he descended 
faster than he went up ; at the moment he reached the deck, 
the fragments of a seaman's head struck his comrade's face, 
and covered it with blood and brains. He vociferated the sa- 
vage interjection " quoh!" and both sought safety below. 

" The British officers had domesticated a bear at Maiden. 
Bruin accompanied liis comrades to battle — was on the deck 
of the Detroit during the engagement, and escaped unhurt. 

" The killed of both fleets were thrown overboard as fast as 
they fell. Several were washed ashore upon the island and 
the main during the gales that succeeded the action. 

" Commodore Perry treated the prisoners with humanity 
and indulgence ; several Canadians, having wives at Maiden, 
were permitted to visit their families on parole. 

" The British were superior in the length and number of 
their guns, as well as in the number of men. The American 
fleet was manned with a motley set of beings, Europeans, 
Africans, Americans from every part of the United States. 
Full one-fourth were blacks. I saw one Russian, who could 
not speak a word of English. They were brave — and who 
could be otherwise under the command of Perry ? 

" The day after the battle, the funeral obsequies of the Ame- 
rican and British officers who had fallen in the action were 
performed in an appropriate and affecting manner. An open- 
ing on the margin of the bay was selected for the interment 
of the bodies. The crews of both fleets attended. The weather 
was fine — the elements seemed to participate in the solemni- 
ties of the day, for every breeze was hushed, and not a wave 
ruffled the surface of the water. The procession of boats — 
the neat appearance of the officers and men — the music — the 
slow and regular motion of the oars, striking in exact time 
with the notes of the solemn dirge — the mournful waving of 
the flags — the sound of the minute guns from the diflferent 
ships in the harbor — the wild and solitary aspect of the place 



490 BATTLE CF LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 

— the stillness of nature, gave to the scene an air of melan9holy 
grandeur better felt than described — all acknowledged its in- 
fluence — all were sensibly affected. What a contrast did it 
exhibit to the terrible conflict of the preceding day ! Then the 
people of the two squadrons were engaged in the deadly strife 
of arms. Now they associated like brothers, to pay the last 
sad tribute of respect to the dead of both nations. 

" Five officers were interred, two American and three Brit- 
ish. Lt. Brooks and Midshipman Laub, of the Lawrence ; 
Captain Finnis and Lt. Stokoe, of the Queen Charlotte ; and 
Lt. Garland, of the Detroit. The graves are but a few paces 
from the beach, and the future traveler of either nation will 
find no memento whereby he may distinguish the American 
from the British hero. 

" The marines of our fleet were highly complimented by 
the Commodore for their good conduct ; although it was the 
first time that most of them had seen a square-rigged vessel, 
being fresh from Harrison's army. The Kentuckians proved 
on this occasion, as has the Commodore since, that they can 
fight on both elements." 



BATTLE OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 

The British fleet appeared in view at Plattsburgh early in 
the morning of the 11 th. It consisted of the frigate Confiance, 
carrying 39 guns, 27 of which were twenty-four pounders ; 
the brig Linnet, carrying 16 guns; the sloops Chub and 
Finch, each carrying 1 1 guns ; and thirteen galleys, five of 
which carried two, and the remainder one gun each. The 
American force consisted of the Saratoga, carrying 26 guns, 
eight of which were long twenty-four pounders ; the Eagle, 
20 guns : the Ticonderoga 17 ; the Preble 7 ; and ten galleys, 
six of which carried two, the remainder one gun each. The 
British were superior, both in size and number of guns. 

At eight m the morning the American look-out-boat an- 
nounced to Commodore Macdonough, the commander of the 
squadron, the approach of the enemy. He at this time lay at 
anchor in Plattsburgh bay, calmly awaiting the approach of 
the British squadron, the fleet being moored in line abreast 
of the works, with a division of five gun-boats on each flank. 
At nine the British fleet anchored in line abreast the Ameri- 



BATTLE OF LAKE CHAMFLAIN. 491 

can squadron, at about 300 yards distance ; the Confiance op- 
posed to the Saratoga ; the Linnet to the Eagle ; the British 
galleys and one of the sloops to the Ticonderoga, Preble, and 
the left division of the American galleys ; the other sloops to 
the right division of the American galleys. 

In this situation the whole force on both sides became en- 
gaged, the Saratoga suffering much from the heavy fire of the 
Confiance. But the fire of the Saratoga was also very de- 
structive to her. The Ticondoroga likewise gallantly sus- 
tained her full share of the action. At half past 10 o'clock the 
Eagle, not being able to bring her guns to bear, cut her cable 
and anchored in a more eligible position, between the Sara- 
toga and the Ticonderoga, where she very much annoyed the 
enemy, but unfortunately left the Saratoga exposed to a gall- 
ing fire from the enemy's brig. The guns on the starboard 
side of the Saratoga being nearly all dismounted, or not 
manageable, a stern anchor was let go, the bovver cable cut, 
and the ship winded with a fresh broadside on the enemy's 
ship, which soon after surrendered. A broadside was then 
sprung to bear on the brig, which surrendered in about fifteen 
minutes after. 

The sloops that were opposed to the Eagle had struck some 
time before, and drifted down the line ; the sloop which was 
with their galleys having struck also. Three of the enemy's 
galleys were sunk, the others pulled off The American flo- 
tilla were about obeying with alacrity the signal to follow 
them, when all the vessels were reported to the Commodore 
as in a sinking state ; it then became necessary to annul the 
signal to the galleys, and order their men to the pumps. The 
enemy's galleys thus got off in a shattered condition, for there 
was not a mast in either squadron that could stand to make sail 
on ; the lower rigging, being nearly all shot away, hung down 
as though it had been just placed over the mast heads. 

The Saratoga had fifty-five round shots in her hull ; the 
Confiance one hundred and five. The Saratoga was twice set 
on fire by hot shot from the Confiance. The enemy's shot 
must have principally passed just over the heads of the sailors, 
as there were not twenty whole hammocks in the nettings at 
the close of the action, which lasted without intermission two 
hours and twenty minutes.* 



* A cock, "the bird of war," was in the Saratoga, and repeatedly 
crowed from the shrouds during the action. A similar circumstance 
occurred in Fort M'Henry during the bombardment. 



492 PIRACY. 

This naval engagement was in full view of both armies at 
Plattsburgh. The killed on board the American squadron 
amounted to 52, the wounded to 58. The killed on board the 
captured vessels amounted to 84, including Captain Downie, 
the commander of the squadron ; the wounded amounted to 
110 ; the loss on board the British galleys has never been as- 
certained. The number of men in the American squadron 
was 820 ; the British were supposed to exceed 1000. 



PIRACY. 



In the early part of June I sailed from Philadelphia in the 
schooner Mary, on a voyage to New-Orleans. My principal 
object in going round by sea was the restoration of my health, 
which had been for many months declining. Having some 
friends in New-Orleans whose commercial operations were 
conducted on an extensive scale, I was charged with the care 
of several sums of money in gold and silver, amounting alto- 
gether to nearly eighteen thousand dollars. This I commu- 
nicated to the captain, and we concluded to secure it in the 
best manner our circumstances would admit. A plank was 
accordingly taken off the ribs of the schooner in my own ca- 
bin, and the money being deposited in the vacancy, the plank 
was nailed down again in its original place, and the seams fill- 
ed and tarred over. Being thus relieved from any apprehen- 
sion that the money would be found upon us in case of an 
attack from pirates, my mind was somewhat easier. What 
other articles of value I could conveniently carry about me, I 
did so. I had also brought a quantity of bank-notes, to the 
amount of fifteen thousand dollars. Part of these I caused to 
be carefully sewed in the left lappel of my coat, supposing 
that, in case of my being lost at sea, my coat, should my body 
be found, would still contain the most valuable of my effects. 
The balance was carefully quilted into my black silk cravat. 

Our crew consisted of the captain and four men, with a 
supply of live stock for the voyage, and a Newfoundland dog, 
valuable for his fidelity and sagacity. He had once saved 
his master from a watery grave, when he had been stunned 
and knocked overboard by the sudden shifting of the boom. 
I was the only passenger on board. Our voyage at first was 
prosperous, and time went on rapidly. I felt my strength in- 



PIRACY. 493 

creasing the longer I was at sea, and when we arrived off 
the coast of Florida, my feelings were like those of another 
man. 

It was toward the evening of the fourteenth day, two hours 
before sun-set, that we espied a sail astern of us. As twilight 
came, it neared us with astonishing rapidity. Night closed, 
and all around was impenetrable darkness. Now and then a 
gentle wave would break against our bow and sparkle for a 
moment, and at a distance behind us we could see the un- 
even glow of light occasioned by the foaming of the strange 
vessel. The breeze that filled our canvass was gentle, though 
it was fresh. 

We coursed our way steadily through the night ; though 
once or twice the roaring of the waves increased so suddenly 
as to make us believe we had passed a breaker. At the time 
it was unaccountable to me, but I now believe it to be occa- 
sioned by the bark behind us, coming rather near in the dark- 
ness of the night. At midnight I went on deck. Nothing 
but an occasional sparkle was to be seen, and the ocean was 
undisturbed. Still it was a fearful and appalling darkness, 
and in spite of my endeavors I could not compose myself 
At the windlas, on the forecastle, three of the sailors, like 
myself, unable to sleep, had collected for conversation. On 
joining them, I found our fears were mutual. They all kept 
their eyes steadily fixed upon the unknown vessel, as if anti- 
cipating some dreadful event. They informed me that they 
had put their arms in order and were determined to stand 
or die. 

At this moment a flash of light, perhaps a musket burning 
priming, proceeded from tbe vessel in pursuit, and we saw 
distinctly that her deck was covered with men. My heart 
almost failed me. I had never been in battle, and I knew not 
what it was. Day at length dawned, and setting all her can- 
vass, our pursuer gained alarmingly upon us. It was evident 
that she had followed us the whole night, being unwilling to 
attack us in the dark. In a few minutes she fired a swivel 
and came alongside. She was a pirate. Her boat was low- 
ered, and about a dozen hideous looking objects jumped in, 
with a commander at their head. The boat pushed off, and 
was n earing us fast, as we arranged ourselves for giving her a 
broadside. Our whole stock of arms consisted of six muskets 
and an old swivel used as a signal gun, belonging to the Mary, 
and a pair of pistols of ray own, which I carried in my belt. 
The pirate boat's crew were armed with muskets, pistols, 

42 



494 PIRACY. 

swords, cutlasses, and knives : and when she came within her 
own length of us, we fired five of our muskets and the swivel 
into her. Her fire was scarcely half given, when she filled 
and went down with all her crew. At this success we were 
inclined to rejoice, but looking over the pirate schooner, we 
observed her deck still swarming with the same description 
of horrid looking wretches. A second boat's crew pushed 
ofl^ with their muskets pointed directly at us the whole time. 
When they came within the same distance as the other, we 
fired, but with little, if any effect. The pirate immediately 
returned the fire, and with horrid cries jumped aboard of us. 
Two of our brave crew were lying dead upon the deck, and 
the rest of us expected nothing better. French, Spanish, and 
English were spoken indiscriminately, and all at once. The 
most horrid imprecations were uttered against us, and threats 
that fancy cannot imagine. 

A v/retch, whose black shaggy whiskers covered nearly 
his whole face, whose eyes were only seen at intervals from 
beneath his bushy eye-brows, and whose whole appearance 
was more that of a hell-hound than of a human being, ap- 
proached me with a drawn cutlass in his hand. I drew one 
of my pistols and snapped it in his face ; but it flashed in the 
pan, and before I could draw the other, the pirate, with a bru- 
tality that would have disgraced a cannibal, struck me over 
the face with his cutlass, and knocked me down. I was too 
much wounded by the blow to resist, and the blood ran in tor- 
rents from my forehead. In this situation the wretch seized 
me by the scalp, and thrusting his cutlass in my cravat, cut it 
through completely. I felt the cold iron glide along my 
throat, and even now the very thought makes me shudder. 
The worst idea I had ever formed of human cruelty seemed 
now realized, and I could see death stare me in the face. 
Without stooping to examine the cravat, he put it in his pock- 
et, and in a voice of thunder exclaimed, '' Letez-vous f^ I ac- 
cordingly rose on my feet, and he pinioned my hands behmd 
my back, led me to the gunwale of the vessel, and asked an- 
other of the gang, in French, whether he should throw me 
overboard. At the recollection of that scene I am still stag- 
gered. I endeavored to call the prospects of eternity before 
me, but could think of nothing except the cold and quiverless 
apathy of the tomb. His infamous companion replied, " // 
est Prop bonne hetire V envoy er an didhltr and led me to the 
foremast, where he tied me with my face to the stern of the 
vessel. The cords were drawn so tight around my arms and 



PIRACY 495 

legs, that my agony was excruciating. In this situation he 
left me. 

On looking round I found them all employed in plundering 
and ransacking every thing we had. Over my left shoulder 
one of our sailors was strung up to the yard-arm, and appa- 
rently in the last agonies of death ; while before me our gal- 
lant captain was on his knees and begging for his life. The 
wretches were endeavoring to extort from him the secret of 
our money ; but for a while he was firm and dauntless. Pro- 
voked at his obstinacy, they extended his arms and cut them off 
at the elbows. At this human nature gave way, and the in- 
jured man confessed the spot where we had concealed our 
specie. In a few moments it was aboard their own vessel. To 
revenge themselves on our unhappy captain, when they had 
satisfied themselves that nothing else was hidden, they spread 
a bed of oakum on the deck before, and after soaking it through 
with turpentine, tied the captain on it, filled his mouth with the 
same combustibles, and set the whole on fire. The cries of the 
unfortunate man were heart-rending, and his agonies must have 
been unutterable ; but they were soon over. All this I was com- 
pelled to witness. Heart-sick with the sight, I once shut my 
eyes, but a musket discharged close to my ear was a warn- 
ing sufficient to keep them open. 

On casting my eyes to the stern of the vessel, I discovered 
that the boatswain had been nailed to the deck through his 
feet, and the body spiked through to the tiller. He was writh- 
ing in the last agonies of crucifixion. Our fifth comrade was 
out of sight during all this tragedy ; in a few minutes, how- 
ever, he was brought upon the deck blindfolded. He was then 
conducted to the muzzle of the swivel and commanded to kneel. 
The swivel Avas then fired off, and his head was dreadfully 
wounded by the discharge. In a moment after it was agoni- 
zing to behold his torments and convulsions — language is too 
feeble to describe them. I have seen men hung upon the gib- 
bet, but their death is like sinking in slumber when compared 
with his. 

Excited with the scene of human butchery, one of those 
wretches fired his pistol at the captain's dog. The ball struck 
his shoulder and disabled him ; he finished him by shooting 
him again, and at last by cutting out his tongue ! At this last 
hell-engendered act my blood boiled with indignation at such 
savage brutality on a helpless, inoffensive dog ! But I was un- 
able to give utterance or action to my feelings. 

Seeing that the crew had been every one despatched, I be- 



496 EIDD S MONEY. 

gan to think more of myself. My old enemy, who seemed to 
forget me, once more approached me, but shockingly besmear- 
ed with blood and brains. He had stood by the side of the un- 
fortunate sailor who suffered before the swivel, and supported 
him with the point of his bayonet. He drew a stiletto from 
his side, "placed its point upon my heart, and gave it a heavy 
thrust. I felt its point touch my skin ; but the quilting of my 
bank-bills prevented its further entrance. This savage monster 
then ran it up my breast, as if intending to divide my Jungs, 
and in doing so the bank bills-fell upon the deck. He snatch- 
ed them up greedily, and exclaimed, " Ah ! laissez-moi voir ce 
que reste." My dress in a few moments was ripped to pieces 
at the peril of my life. He frequently came so near as to tear 
my skin and deluge me with blood ; but by the mercy of Provi- 
dence I escaped from every danger. At this moment a heavy 
flaw struck the schooner, and I heard one of the pirates say, 
"Voila unvaisseau!" They all retreated precipitately, and 
gaining their own vessel, was soon out of sight. 

Helpless as I now was, I had the satisfaction of knowing 
that the pirates had been frightened by the appearance of a 
sail, but it was impossible for me to see it. Still tied to the 
foremast, I knew not what was my prospect of release. An 
hour or two had elapsed after they left me, and it was now 
noon. The sun played violently upon my head, and I felt a 
languor and debility that indicated approaching fever. My 
head gradually sunk upon my breast, when I was shocked by 
hearing the water pouring into the cabin windows. The 
wretches had scuttled the vessel, and left me pinioned to go 
down with her. I commended my spirit to my Maker, and 
gave myself up for lost. I felt myself gradually dying away, 
and the last thing I remembered was the foaming noise of the 
waves. This was occasioned by a ship passing by me. I 
was taken in, restored to health, and am now a poor, ruined, 
helpless man. 



KIDD'S MONEY. 



It has long been a prevailing tradition along the Atlantic 
coa^t of the United States, that the pirates who frequented 
these shores and the W. Indies, at the close of the 17th and in 
the beginning of the 18th century, especially Captain Kidd, 



kidd's money. 497 

and the noted Teach or Blackbeard, deposited pots of money 
in various secure places, mostly on islands and headlands. 
This superstition has in very many instances been so strong 
and deep rooted as to have led many persons, not of the least 
respectable classes, to dig for the " pirates' treasure.'' The 
belief was, that the pirates, in burying their money, had put 
it under the protection of the evil one, and to counteract his 
influence various magical ceremonies and incantations were 
performed previous to commencing the operations of digging. 
Especially a magical circle was drawn around the spot, and 
the parties were strictly forbidden to speak, until the treasure 
Avas found and removed to a place of safety. The night was 
usually chosen for these attempts, and the group of anxious 
faces bending over their spades as they fearfully tossed up the 
forbidden earth, and half illuminated by their solitary dark 
lantern, while the moon was just peering out over the distant 
waves, must have formed a subject worthy of a Rembrandt 
for its gloom, and a Teniers for its humor. Then all at once 
the chink ! and the eager incautious exclamation : " We've got 
it !" followed by a long blank silence, and the melancholy 
consciousness that they had broken the spell, and lost their 
treasure for ever. 

The shores of Long-Island Sound, and even the Atlantic 
beach of that Island, are famous for such adventures. Scarce 
an island or point but bears witness to this lust for gold. 
Some credulous people have ruined themselves by these re- 
searches, and propagated a thousand idle fables, current to this 
day, among our country farmers. Such stories are exceedingly 
rife among the fishermen along South Bay (L. I.) and are still 
told with that solemn air of belief wliich seizes even the most 
incredulous with its cold contagion. When heard on one of 
their naked hommocs, some three or four miles off in their 
wide level salt marshes, where the scene of itself is utter lone- 
liness, they will make your hair stand on end in spite of you, 
and cause an icy chill to run over you, even under the hot sun 
of dog-days. One of these stories I recollect was told me on 
a truant excursion which I had made, with some of my school- 
fellows, to the ocean beach, where our boat was left by the 
retiring tide, while we were playing in the surf We had 
thus before us the pleasant prospect of a night's residence on 
the bare sand-hills, when we were unexpectedly relieved by 
two of those strange fishermen, who kindly set us afloat, and 
sent us on our way rejoicing, after furnishing us with mate- 

24* 



498 kidd's money. 

rials for ghostly reflection, in our evening walk through the 
woods, on our route homeward. 

One of their neighbors had dreamed, "just three nights run- 
ning," that at a certain spot on the beach, a pot of" raal goold 
doubleloons " was buried. Silently he withdraws before day- 
break, unties his boat, and paddles down the narrow winding 
creek, and out over the smooth bay, to the white sand-hills, 
where the ocean was keeping up its ceaseless solemn music. 
He landed and hurried with his spade and hazle rod to the 
very spot he had dreamed of With his rod he drew around it 
the magic circle, and then with his spade went silently and so- 
lemnly to work, heaving up the sand that concealed his trea- 
sure. But he was not allowed to proceed unmolested. Sud- 
denly a monstrous great black dog bounded out of the earth, 
with long grinning white fangs, red fiery eyes, and a lolling 
tongue, that looked hot and gory. Round and around the ring 
he ran with astonishing swiftness, growling and snarling, and 
ever and anon, with most infernal look, snapping fiercely at 
the money-digger. There was a strong smell too of the pit, 
and a blue smoke seemed to pufF out of his nostrils at every 
respiration. It was the evil one sure enough ; but the fish- 
erman felt sure of his circle, and worked on with redoubled 
diligence. Suddenly the sea seemed to heave and roll in on 
him in mountains. High dark waves swelled far above him, 
and seemed just about to burst and overwhelm him. Then 
came the pirate ships on the tops of these waves, so near he 
could almost grapple them, and with all their black-mouthed 
guns thrust out of their ports and ready to let drive. He 
heard the captain's thundering shout: "Fire away!" — but 
still he worked on undaunted. At last, chink ! " Now I've 
got it!" burst unconsciously from his lips. Fatal words ! 
The dog swelled to gigantic size — a howl — a yell — and 
then such an explosion ! as if the ships had fired their broad- 
sides, and a mine had blown up beneath him, all at once. 
He saw and heard no more. After a long trance, he awoke 
late in the night. The moon looked out over the low glim- 
mering waves, and shone sadly on the snow-white sand-hills. 
The money-pot, dog and ships were all gone, and he found 
nothing by him but his hazle-rod and spade, and the heaps 
of sand he had dug in the morning. Slowly and sadly he 
crossed the beach, launched his boat on the still moon-lit bay, 
and paddled disconsolately homeward, without even a fry of 
fi. . for supper. 

"An idea was once very prevalent, especially near the 



kidd's money. 499 

Delaware and Schuylkill rivers," says Mr. Watson, in his 
amusing Annals of Philadelphia, " that the pirates of Black- 
beard's day had deposited treasure in the earth. The con- 
ceit was, that sometimes they killed a prisoner and interred 
him with it, to make his ghost keep his vigils there as a 
guard ' walking his weary round.' Hence it w^as not rare 
to hear of persons having seen a shpook or ghost, or of hav- 
ing dreamed of it a plurality of times ; thus creating a suffi- 
cient incentive to dig on the spot. 

' Dream after dream ensues ; 
' And still ihey dream that they shall still succeed, 
' And still are disappointed !' 

" Colonel Thomas Forrest, who died in 1828, at the age of 
83, had been in his early days a youth of much frolic and fun, 
always well disposed to give time and application to forward 
a joke. He found much to amuse himself in the credulity of 
some of the German families. I have heard him relate some 
of his anecdotes of the prestigious kind with much humor. 
When he was about twenty-one years of age, a tailor who w^as 
measuring him for a suit of clothes, happened to say, " Now, - 
Thomas, if you and I could only find some of the money of the 
sea-robbers, (the pirates,) we might drive our coach for life.'*' 
The sincerity and simplicity w^ith which he uttered this, 
caught the attention of young Forrest, and when he went 
home he began to devise some scheme to be amused with his 
credulity and superstition. There was a prevailing belief that 
the pirates had hidden many sums of money and much trea- 
sure about the banks of the Delaware. Forres-t got an old 
parchment, on which he wrote the dying testimony of one 
John Hendricks, executed at Tyburn jfor piracy, in which he 
stated he had deposited a chest and a pot of money at C(>op- 
er's Point, in the Jerseys. This parchment he smoked, and 
gave to it the appearance of antiquity ; calling on his German 
tailor, told him he had found it among his father's papers, who 
got it in England from the prisoner, whom he visited in pri- 
son. This he showed to the tailor as a precious paper, which 
he could by no means lend out of his hands. This operated 
the desired effect. 

" Soon after the tailor called on Forrest with one Ambrus- 
ter, a printer, whom he introduced as capable of ' printing 
any spirit out of hell ' by his knowledge of the black art. J-Je 
asked to show him the parchment; he was delighted with'it, 
and confidently said he could conjure Hendricks to give up 



500 

the money. A time was appointed to meet in an upper room 
of a public house in Philadelphia, by night, and the inkeeper 
was let into the secret by Forrest. By the night appointed 
they had prepared, by a closet, a communication with a room 
above their sitting-room, so as to lower down by a pulley the 
invoked ghost, who was represented by a young man entirely 
sewed up in a close white dress, on which were painted black- 
eyed sockets, mouth, and bare ribs, with dashes of black between 
them, the outside and inside of the legs and thighs blacked, so 
as to make white bones conspicuous there. About twelve per- 
sons met in all, seated around a table. Ambruster shuffled and 
read out cards, onAvhich were inscribed the names of the New- 
Testament saints, telling them he should bring Hendricks to 
encompass the table, visible or invisible he could not tefl. At 
the words, ' John Hendricks, du verfiuchter, cum her aus,^* the 
pulley was heard to reel, the closet door to fly open, and John 
Hendricks, with ghastly appearance, to stand forth. The 
w^hole were dismayed and fled, save Forrest the brave. After 
this, Ambruster, on whom they all depended, declared that he 
had by spell got permission to take up the money. A day was 
therefore appointed to visit the Jersey shore, and to dig there 
by night. The parchment said it lay between two great stones. 
Forrest therefore prepared two black men, to be entirely na- 
ked, except white petticoat-breeches ; and these were to jump 
each on the stone whenever they came to the pot, which had 
been previously put there. These frightened off' the company 
for a little. When they next essayed, they were assailed by 
cats tied two and two, to whose tails were spiral papers of 
gunpowder, which illuminated and whizzed while the cats 
wauled. The pot was at length got up, and brought in 
great triumph to Philadelphia wharf : but, O sad disaster ! 
while helping it out of the boat, Forrest, who managed it, 
and was handing i: up to the tailor, trod upon the gunnel and 
filled the boat, and holding on to the pot, dragged the tailor into 
the river — it was lost ! For years afterward they reproach- 
ed Forrest for that loss, and declared he had got the chest 
by himself, and was enriched thereby. He favored the con- 
ceit, until at last they actually sued him on a writ of treasure 
trove ; but their lawyer was persuaded to give it up as idle. 
Some years afterward, Mr. Forrest wrote a very humorous 
play, which contained many incidents of this kind of supersti- 
tion. It gave such offence to the parties represented, that it 
could not be exhibited on the stage. I remember some lines 

* Come out, thou accursed. 



OUTRAGE OF THE MALAYS. 501 

in it, for it had much of broken English and German-English 
verses, to wit : 

" My dearest wife, in all my life 

" Ich neber was so frighten'd ; 

'* De spirit come and I did rmi — 

" 'TwEis juste like tmider mit lightening." 

As late as the year 1792, the ship-carpenters formed a par- 
ty to dig for pirates' money on the Cohocksinc creek, north- 
west of the causeway, under a large tree. They got frightened 
off And it came out afterward, that a waggish neighbor had 
enacted diabolus to their discomfiture." 



OUTRAGE OF THE MALAYS. 

The ship Friendship, Captain Endicott, of Salem, was at- 
tacked and captured by the Malays, on the 7th of February, 
1831, while lying at Q,uala Batoo, in the island of Sumatra. 
The particulars, as taken from the ship's log-book after the 
accident, are as follows : 

"Monday, February 7th, 1831. At eight A. M. the cap- 
tain, second officer, and four men, went on shore to weigh 
pepper ; at half-past three P. M. succeeded in procuring one 
boat load ; saw her leave the bank of the river opposite the 
scale-house with the usual compliment of men in her, that is 
to say, one steersman and six oarsmen; the natives still 
bringing pepper to the scales, with the promise of giving us 
another boat-load to-day. The first boat was observed to 
make considerable delay in getting out of the river, and we 
supposed her crew might be stealing pepper from her and 
secreting it among some neighboring high grass ; two of the 
ship's men were accordingly sent down to watch them, and 
upon their approaching the boat, five or six Malays were seen 
to jump up from the grass and hurry on board her : the ship's 
people supposed them to be the boat's crew, as they had seen 
about the same number quit her previous to their being ob- 
served by the Malays. At this time there was a brig stand- 
ing into Soosoo. While waiting for the natives to complete 
our other boat-load of pepper. Captain Endicott went to the 
beach to ascertain if the brig approaching had hoisted any 
colors. 

" He then saw that the pepper boat, which was at this time 



502 OUTRAGE OF THE MALAYS. 

a few yards off the ship, had at least double the number of 
men in her that she had when she left the scales ; he imme- 
diately returned and inquired into this circumstance ; the men 
who were sent down to watch the boat in the river, then in- 
formed that they had seen her take in several men out of a 
ferry-boat at the mouth of the river, but as they all appeared 
to be "youngsters," they did not think the circumstance of 
sufficient importance to report it. Our suspicions were imme- 
diately excited that all was not right ; yet trusting they would 
not be permitted to go on board, it being contrary to the esta- 
blished regulations of the ship, in the absence of the captain, 
to admit more than two Malays on board her at a time, and 
deeming it too late to render any assistance if they were, the 
second officer and two men were sent to the beach to observe 
the movements on board, who almost instantly returned with 
the information that there was trouble on board, and that men 
were seen jumping overboard from her. 

" Convinced from this circumstance that we on shore had 
no time to lose, we immediately sprang into the ship's boat, 
and pushed off. Almost instantaneously crowds of Malays 
began to assemble on the points of the river, which are about 
sixty yards asunder, brandishing their weapons, and in other 
ways menacing us ; at the same moment a ferry-boat with 
eight or ten men in her, armed with spears and krisses, pushed 
off to intercept our passage out of the river, but by pulling 
directly for her and presenting a Malay sword, our only wea- 
pon, we succeeded in keeping them off. When we had clear- 
ed the river and come in full sight of the ship, we found the 
Malays had full possession of her, some of them walking 
about the decks, while others were making signals of success 
to the people on shore ; none of the ship's crew, except one 
man aloft, was to be seen. At this moment three Malay boats, 
with forty or fifty men each, came out of the river and pulled 
toward the ship and us ; we then concluded our only chance 
to recover the ship was by obtaining assistance from some 
other vessels, and for this purpose we made the best of our 
way to Muckie, where we knew two or three American ves- 
sels were lying. At one A. M. Ave reached Muckie, which 
lies twenty-five miles distant from Gluala Batoo, and found 
there ship James Monroe, Porter, of New- York, brigs Gov. 
Endicott, N. H. Jenks, of Salem, and Palmer, Powers, of Bos- 
ton, who determined, on hearing of our misfortunes, to pro- 
ceed to Q,uala Batoo and endeavour to recover the ship. 

" They accordingly got under way, but owjng^ to the light- 



OUTRAGE OF THE MALAYS. 503 

ness of the wind, did not reach Cluala Batoo m season to 
effect any thing that day, but on the morning of the 9th a 
Malay was sent on shore to demand the ship of the Rajah, 
accompanied with the threat, that if the Malays did not im- 
mediately desert her, we should fire upon them and the town. 
The Rajah, however, positively refused to give her up, and 
sent word we might take her if we could. The three vessels 
then commenced firing upon the ship and the boats which 
were passing with plunder, and were answered by the forts 
on shore, and the Malays also firing the ship's guns at us. In 
their attempts to get her on shore she had become entangled 
among a large cluster of shoals, which rendered it extremely 
dangerous for either of the vessels to attempt to lay her along- 
side. The Malays, however, after blowing themselves up with 
an open keg of powder, out of which they were loading the 
guns, soon ceased firing on board the ship ; when a boat from 
each vessel was despatched to board her, under cover of the 
guns from the vessels, and which we did without opposition, 
the Malays deserting her on the approach of the boats. 

" We subsequently learnt that the pepper boat exchanged 
her crew of fishermen at the river's mouth for a set of opium 
smokers, rendered desperate by their habits, and to these Avere 
added also men of the same class taken from the ferry-boat; 
that when she came alongside not one of them was recog- 
nized by the ship's company as having been ofi'to her before ; 
they were all, however, indiscriminately permitted to go on 
board ; and the attack was commenced simultaneously at dif 
ferent parts of the ship, by some concerted signal ; and three 
or four men, with the first officer, were instantly krissed, and 
the crew being taken by surprise, and unprepared, the ship fell 
an easy prey to them." 

Immediately on learning this outrage. Government despatch- 
ed the frigate Potomac, Captain Dov^rnes, to obtain full redress 
for the attack on the Friendship. The frigate arrived on the 
coast of Sumatra in February, 1832, and anchored off Gluala 
Batoo on the 5th of that month. Ineffectual attempts were made 
on that day to open an intercourse with the natives. Prepara- 
tions were accordingly made for an attack, which took place 
at early dawn on the 6th. The forts of the enemy were soon 
carried, and their force dispersed. After having thus inflicted 
on them such vengeance as their piracy deserved, the frigate 
took its leave. Their punishment has doubtless impressed them 
with a salutary respect for American power and decision. 



M •? ^ t h 



504 POETRY. 



ON SEEING A SHIP, 

WHICH HAD BEEN INDUCED TO ALTER HER COURSE BY FALSE LIGHT», 
DASHED TO PIECES ON THE ROCKS OF SCILLY, AT MIDNIGHT, IN DECEM- 
BER, 1813. 

BY NATHANIEL OGLE, Esq. 



Fierce the winter tempest blew, 
The moon in clouds were shrouded j 

Through the surge a frigate flew ; 
Her deck with men was crowded. 

For their harbor right they stood ; 

When three watch-lights dimly gleam, 
Glancing rays along the flood. 

Broad upon the larboard beam. 

Bear away !" the helmsman cries; 
"Rocks and dangers lie ahead." 
With the storm the frigate flies, 
By destruction's demon led. ^ 

Deeper night the heaven o'ercasts ; 

Brighter shine those trait'rous fires ; 
Louder roar the threat'ning blasts; 

Death with haste the ship inspires. 

Scarce the seamen drew their breath 
Silent was that gallant crew ; 

As if spirits whisper'd death, 
And each man his fate foreknew. 

Openmg clouds unveil the skies ; 

Crags and shoals begird her round, 
Raving surfs recoiling rise, 

Then rush up the broken ground. 

Lighted by the pale moon-ray, 
Balanced on a mountain wave ; 

Wreathed with foam and winged spray, 
High she trembled o'er her grave. 

Screams are mingled with the wind ; 

Granite reefs one crash resound ; 
No track of death the eye can trace, 

Nought but foam and billows round ! 



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